Gangstas & Thugs
by Nijuu
Summary: The rivalry between Schools K & M deepens as teachers, principals, and other students get caught up in the gangsta's affairs. Tsuna and his friends must find a way to settle the score with their enemies, but stay out of trouble at the same time. AU, OOC.
1. It's Goin' Down

G_an_gstas a_n_dTh_ug_s : _K_ **H** R

Chapter One : _It's Goin' Down_

_I was running, running so fast my legs were on fire, my eyes stinging and my lungs about to burst. The walls of my throat were as numb as my clenched fists, white and cold. My breath was labored and my voice hoarse, but I didn't feel weak, and I didn't slow down. It was night, the sky was black. It was raining, but I couldn't tell, because I couldn't see or feel anything. There was a light ahead of me though; the only thing I could see, be it real or false._

_That light, steady before me, making me unaware of the continuous stomp of my feet against the sidewalk. I was sprinting; towards what, I didn't know. But I was about to find ou-_

"Tsuna!" someone whispered loudly, waking him up although he didn't budge. They must've thought he was still asleep, because they mustered up the nerve (and skill) to yell his name mixed in with a cough. He jumped at this, now fully awake. Sure enough, to Tsuna's right, Gokudera was giving him a raised-eyebrow look; and to his left, Ryohei's eyes were darting from him to the front of the room, back and forth. He knew what this meant and he rolled his eyes.

Mr. Cavallone was looking at him expectantly, but luckily half of the class was spacing out, not looking at him with that same expression. Hands on his hips, finger tapping in irritation, the teacher finally said, "Any idea what the answer is, Sawada?" He, of course, didn't hear the question he'd initially asked. He wasn't even sure what they were learning about in this chapter.

He grimaced as he used his sleeve to wipe the drool of his desk, wondering how long he'd been asleep. Not that it mattered. What mattered was: _how could I be asleep with so much going on? Tonight..._

"I know what the answer is," Gokudera said, pretty casually for addressing a teacher. They were always that way though.

Dino gave the boy an amused look, but shot him down with a curt, "I called on Sawada." Gokudera shrugged and propped his feet up on the desk, no doubt using that comment to buy Tsuna some time, and keep him focused. Tsuna didn't need either though, because his answer was:

"I'm gonna guess the answer is x divided by 2y." He laced his fingers together and put them behind his head, leaning back. The class, but mostly Ryohei, Gokudera, and Yamamoto, laughed at his answer, respectfully. Dino, however, was not laughing.

"The correct answer is the year 1965," he said matter-of-factly, looking back down at the textbook before smiling at Tsuna. "And this is history class, by the way." Tsuna smiled back mockingly and nodded shortly.

As a few more minutes went by, and Tsuna noticed how on edge his friends were. Gokudera was constantly fiddling with the ring on his finger, staring intently at the wall as if having a in-depth conversation with it. Ryohei was looking at his watch, then looking at the clock five seconds later. Yamamoto was biting the end of his now eraserless pencil, staring at the paper, although Tsuna knew he wasn't reading it. Tsuna himself felt, after that nerve-racking dream, a strange sense of calm.

The bell rang and the four of them were out the door before Dino had time to assign them homework, or get them in trouble.

The group made a bee-line for the front doors of the school, but ran into too many people along the way. "Good afternoon, onii-san!" Kyoko chimed happily at the sight of Ryohei, who nodded thoughtlessly to her. Tsuna said hello, but went ignored. It was always that way though.

"When are you going to give up on her?" Gokudera mumbled, risking putting a cigarette between his lips and discreetly lighting it. "She doesn't even know your name."

Tsuna sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "I know, but I'm okay with that. Not very many people know my name anyway," he added quietly, leading his posse around the corner of a hallway.

"Halt." The voice was dark, patient, and gave one a chill at the thought of being in trouble. They all recognized it immediately, especially when the tip of Gokudera's cigarette was cut off by an invisible force. They halted, as they were told, but not willingly. Gokudera threw the remaining piece onto the floor as they looked up to see the source of the voice.

"Possession and usage of tobacco products on campus," came the monotonous and unemphatic lecture from someone a couple of years older than them. The words, no doubt memorized from a handbook of some sort, were practiced and even-toned. "A serious violation of school policy." Gokudera groaned under his breath at the sight of the straight black hair and cold, blue eyes, now focused on him. "Demerit."

Gokudera snatched away the slip of paper being offered to him. The hall monitor, Kyoya Hibari, just stared at him, neither angry nor offended. Maybe he was pleased that he'd gotten the boy in trouble, for the third time that week. "Thanks," Gokudera sneered, moving past the prefect and heading again for the door. The others followed, Yamamoto stopping to pat his friend? on the shoulder and exchange a few words.

Outside, the group met in the bleachers, where Lambo and I-pin were waiting patiently. "What took you?" Lambo asked, but stopped and smirked when he saw the demerit in the silver-haired one's hand. "Ah, Hibari got you again, huh?"

"Shut it, you damn cow," Gokudera hissed as he took a seat, using an insult that never got old for him and only offended Lambo's sense of style. The others exchanged glances amongst each other for a while longer before the long-awaited topic came up.

"Is everyone ready for tonight?" Tsuna asked, capturing everyone's attention. There was a small pause, before Yamamoto stood.

"Actually, no. I need to pick something up at the pawn shop," he said, and everyone rose with him. A trip to the pawn shop was much better than sitting in their fifth hour class, and someone was bound to catch them if they hung around too long. They headed down the steps, and Tsuna got a chill at the bottom step.

The wind picked up as he turned to face the east, where, somewhere over the trees and hills and tall buildings, the opposing school was having class. He tightened his fists by his sides and exhaled sharply. His eyes narrowed and he could pretend to see his enemy, wondering if they were feeling the same trepidation. He would have to wait, and so would they.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School M** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_And so_," Xanxus began, raising his voice to an unnecessary volume as he scribbled something on the blackboard. "E equals MC squared." The chalk hit the rail with a clack, and he turned to face his class, placing his fingertips on the cluttered desk surface and leaning forward. His red eyes scanned over the students and he stared hard at them. They stared back, and there was a long silence. A cloud passed idly over the sun, shading a part of the room. The clock ticked incessantly on the wall.

"I don't get it!!" a student groused, leaning back dangerously in his chair. He removed his feet from the desk and let the chair fall forward, back in place. The disruption stirred the rest of the class as well. The others started moving their books into their bags and raising their heads from their desks, waking up one by one. A small amount of conversation emerged, too.

"Well, that's too bad!" Xanxus commented unempathetically, straightening up and crossing his arms. "Because you know what happens to students who don't get it? They fail!" He took a look at his lesson plans as the class continued to ignore him for the most part. "Although, you were all destined to fail anyway."

"Yeah, with a teacher like you," a student quipped, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Xanxus slammed a palm down on the desk and used the other hand to point at the kid who'd made the comment.

"Watch it, you," he warned, narrowing his eyes. The bell rang and everyone got up. "Alright, your homework is a five-page essay on everything you learned today! No, double that, only make it on everything you learned this _year_!" The students moaned collectively as they filed out of the room. A single girl stayed back, approaching Xanxus's desk with great caution.

"Excuse me, Mr. Xanxus," she said politely, avoiding eye contact. "I...I don't mean to sound rude, but, with all due respect, sir," she looked up at him with her one eye, the other masked by an eye patch. "I didn't really learn anything today."

The other teacher in the room, who had been typing on the computer, stifled his laughter at the girl's comment, but went right back to typing when Xanxus glared at him. "Well, it's all in the textbook. Just read that," he advised. The girl still wasn't convinced.

"But sir, you didn't assign us our textbooks this year," she murmured, looking at the floor.

"I didn't?"

"Chrome! Let's go!" The girl looked at the doorway, where three people were waiting for her impatiently. She bowed kindly to her teacher before hastily running to the door to leave with her friends.

Chrome placed herself between the boy who said he didn't get Xanxus's lesson and the one with the glasses. "Do you guys know how to do our homework?" she asked, still confused on the topic. They both remained silent, neither of them having any intention to so much as start the assignment.

Seeing that she wouldn't get a response from either of them, she turned her attention to the leader. "Mukuro, are you doing the assignment?" The boy stopped, causing the other three to do so as well. "Mukuro?"

"No, Chrome," he said, turning around to face them. A small smile was on his lips as he shifted his varicolored eyes to a nearby window. "The four of us have some very important business to take care of tonight." There was a short silence as Chrome looked down in thought, biting her lip. Mukuro saw her discomfort and placed a hand on her head. "So there won't be any time for essays. Let's try to stay focused." He led the group through the hallways, but they had to split up for their next classes.

"Ken, Chikusa," Mukuro started, addressing his two quiet friends. "Meet us in the lounge later this afternoon, during the staff meeting. We have something to discuss." The two nodded, heading off to class. Mukuro gave Chrome one last reassuring look; but it did anything but settle the girl's nerves.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

School was out for the day, but the group was forced to return anyway, since their rooms were in the building. The college, dormitory system was strange for a high school, but in this area, it was the most convenient. The afternoon was drawing to a close, and night was rising into view. Everyone felt sick to their stomaches, but not because of fear. Rather, _excitement_.

Ryohei passed by a friend of his on the way to his dorm room. "Bianchi," he said, stopping her.

"Oh, I was looking for you," she said. She handed him a flyer, advertising something sports related. But the reason for their meeting was much different. Ryohei could see the worry gathering behind the pretty girl's eyes, her lip daring not to tremble.

"Everything's going to be fine," he promised her, smiling as best he could for the girl. She nodded, inhaling deeply.

"I hope you're right." Hibari passed by the two, eyeing them suspiciously. "Please, look out for my brother," she implored with haste before trying to look like she was talking about the flyer. "I must be going. All of you, take care." Ryohei nodded.

Somewhere else in the building, Tsuna and Gokudera were headed for their room. The office aid, Basil, rushed past them. "Hey!" Tsuna hollered, making the boy jump. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Ah, Sawada!" Basil was a student who worked personally under the superintendent, or Tsuna's father, so they were familiar with each other. "I was on my way to a staff meeting. Your father paged me a few minutes ago, and I'm afraid I'm already late!" he added, glancing at his watch. "I'll talk to you later!"

"A meeting, huh?" Gokudera shook his head. "I don't like the sound of it, but I guess it's not our problem right now." The boy looked at Tsuna as they arrived at the latter's room. "You nervous?"

"Yeah," Tsuna admitted, turning his head to the side and focusing elsewhere. "But it's about time we got even with them. I'm ready." Gokudera wished Tsuna good luck before going to his own room, but he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Basil heading into the lecture hall for the staff meeting, and a feeling of malaise was upon him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K: Lecture Hall STAFF MEETING** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The door closed as Basil stepped sheepishly inside, smiling nervously at Iemitsu, who nodded. "Now that everyone's here, let's begin."

A long table extended down the center of the room, and member of the staff of either school were seated on both sides. Dino was the first to speak. He interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them, elbows on the table. "I called on Tsuna today. He was asleep."

The School K Principal chuckled lightly at this, nodding. "That's to be expected. I guess they're going to need all the energy they can get for tonight, hm?" The Vice Principal by his side stirred, his blue eyes looking at his superior with concern.

"But Reborn, are you seriously going to let those kids go through with this?"

"Colonnello, it's no concern of ours what becomes of those students," Lal Mirch informed him. "We're only responsible for what they learn. Their outside life is their business. Am I wrong, Mr. Iemitsu?"

"That is correct, but..." Iemitsu was no doubt having a hard time facing the fact that his son was about to engage in a street fight that evening with members from a school in the same district. Xanxus picked up on this.

"Why don't you deal with this issue as a father, rather than as a superintendent, and spare us all the boredom of this meeting?" Although his co-workers snickered quietly at this, Marmon thought otherwise.

"I advise you to check your tone, Xanxus," he said warily, noting Iemitsu's rising chagrin immediately. "After all, jealousy will get you nowhere." He added the last part for the sake of entertaining the other two, who laughed in agreement, and reminding Xanxus of his place. The man just shifted in his chair and sighed bitterly.

"What are we going to do?" Basil asked.

"Just let them fight to their deaths, for all they're worth!" Squalo snarled, finally contributing to the meeting. Iemitsu rose from his chair and opened his mouth to yell at the teacher, but Squalo wasn't done. "Lal's right; their personal lives are not ours to interfere with. They're students, and we're teachers." Tilting his head with a wry smile, he added, "If you're that worried about your _son_, don't make it a school issue." Xanxus didn't understand how Squalo could get away with making nearly the same comment as he had earlier, but it wasn't worth thinking about.

Basil ushered Iemitsu back down in his seat. Shamal leaned back in his chair with his eyes focused harshly on Squalo. "You're willing to risk the reputation of these schools, of this _town_, and let these kids just about kill each other?"

"What reputation?" Belphegor walked closer to the table, his hands behind his back. "These schools you're so proud of have the lowest grade averages in the entire country. I'd say students who fight are just as bad as students who fail."

"The condition of the school's grades is entirely the fault of the teacher's ability to administer the learning material," Iemitsu remarked pointedly, directing his glare at Xanxus. Once the dark-haired one noticed this, he shrugged and closed his eyes.

"Hell, you hired us."

"Alright, that's it." Iemitsu's patience snapped and he dropped the pen he'd been holding on the table. "We'll discuss this in more detail after a five minute _break_." The emphasis on the word _break_ was also directed at Xanxus as Iemitsu cracked his knuckles and left the room. The others stood and headed for the lounge for coffee while Xanxus remained seated, smiling despite himself.

Squalo stayed back and looked at Xanxus, recognizing the smirk almost instantly. "You're close. I can tell." Xanxus regarded him with a small nod, but Squalo was not so easily dismissed. "How much longer do you think it'll be?"

This question brought Xanxus to his feet and the two faced each other. "Next year," Xanxus started, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "Next year, you'll refer to me as your superintendent. You can count on it."

**- ch. 1 end, Thursday, 2/21/08, 10:01 p.m.**


	2. Too Much Too Soon

Chapter Two : Too Much Too Soon

Chrome made her way to the lounge as she was instructed, carefully looking around for teachers along the way. Although the majority of the staff was at the meeting, she had to make sure no one saw her anyway, or she'd get her brother and his friends in trouble.

She tried the lounge doorknob, locked. Glancing around in the hallway nervously, she didn't know what to do in case she was the first one there; it had never happened before. To her relief, Ken and Chikusa showed up. They were glaring at her as usual as they knocked on the door in a strange pattern, no doubt code. The door opened, Mukuro's silhouette gliding away from the space visible to the hallway.

Once they were all seated in the lightless room, Mukuro began. "You all know we may be fiercely outnumbered tonight," he said lowly, getting straight to the point. Assuming they all nodded in agreement, he continued, "That's why I got some upperclassmen to help us. _If we need it_, that is." A smirk was visible in the lamplight from outside, and the sound of Mukuro's trademark laughter was heard. "But don't get sloppy just because we have help."

"Of course not," Chikusa promised, pushing his glasses up so the light from outside reflected off them.

"I plan to take every one of those annoying brats down." Ken stood from his seat, excitement building inside him. "We won't even need the upperclassmen's help!"

"Just the four of us..." Chrome thought quietly out loud. "I wonder if it will be as easy as you say, Ken." The blonde gave her an angry look as usual, but she ignored it. "At least how many are there from School K, Mukuro?"

Mukuro's smile remained steady. "About seven or eight, and that's including any recruits they may have made at the last minute." Still, a degree of uneasiness lingered in the air. "That may be two of them to each one of us. If their power is overwhelming, I'll tell you again," he started for the door, but paced back. "We have backup."

A commotion outside the room, accompanied by the sound of keys, startled the group. "Dammit!" Ken whispered, grabbing Chrome's arm and diving to the side. None of them had expected the teachers to come back so soon.

Light flooded the room as the fluorescent light came on, two teachers noisily entering the room. One of them sighed loudly and closed the door, the other making his way to the leather chair Chikusa had just been sitting in. "I can't believe that Sawada is making this a school issue," an impatient voice said. The students exchanged glances from behind the furniture.

"That Sawada..." a familiar voice that they had heard just earlier that day said. "Is a damn fool. He's not cut out for a superintendent." Xanxus's voice held a biting edge of hatred and comtempt for his superior. "If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to-"

Xanxus suddenly fell silent, the sound of leather protesting against weight as the other teacher sat beside him. "Are you sure you want to talk about this now?" the other teacher asked quietly, his voice soothing. Xanxus growled lowly in agreement, and soon the only sound was the periodic movement picked up by the chair. Ken made a face, but Mukuro held his hand low to the floor, telling them to be still. He wanted to know the nature of the staff meeting before he left.

The other teacher, Squalo, whispered something to Xanxus that the students couldn't hear. "I'm not concerned about the students' safety at all," Xanxus answered, possibly ignoring Squalo's comment completely. Mukuro shifted slightly. He was right; the meeting did pertain to them. "They can fight until they kill each other, but I don't expect to take any action. I'm not responsible for my students."

Chrome looked at the floor in sadness at Xanxus's words. Squalo mumbled some kind of agreement, and Mukuro could hear the two of them stand up. "I suppose Iemitsu is the only one who can't understand that," Squalo said, his voice changing as it became apparent he wanted to drop the subject. "Xanxus, there's no one else here..."

Chikusa and Ken looked at each other with mixed emotions, thankful they couldn't see the teachers. Chrome, however, grew fearful and sank further behind the chair she was behind. "No," Xanxus started, his footsteps audible. "We're not alone."

Mukuro, satisfied with the information he'd received, smiled and closed his eyes.

"Xanxus, what are you-?"

The teacher moved the chair aside quickly, but to his surprise, saw nothing. He paused a moment before he was sure no one was there. "Sorry, I thought I saw someone..." Xanxus apologized, thoroughly confused.

Squalo shook his head, smiling. "The door was locked when we got here, and the lights were off. You're just too paranoid about people seeing us." Xanxus nodded absently, but the thought of being overheard remained in the back of his mind.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tsuna tightened the strap of the glove on his right hand, a hand that would soon engage in physical combat. Gokudera was again by his side, handing him the black jacket he knew would be necessary to wear in the dark. Yamamoto was standing at the door, keeping a lookout for teachers that might see them sneaking out. When he motioned that the coast was clear, the three headed out.

There was a nervousness in the pits of their stomachs that would cause them to tremble and throw up if they let it consume them. Instead, they masked it behind emotionless faces as they made their way outside. Ryohei and Lambo turned around at the sound of their footsteps. With a short nod from their leader, they headed down the street. Silent and quick, their lithe forms slipped through the shadows of the night.

It was a dark clearing surrounded by a chain-link fence. A single streetlight illuminated the large space below, scarcely enough for them to see anything. Tsuna and his friends climbed over the fence. That gate was locked; that was the rule: no escaping. Anyone too weak to climb over the fence once the fight was over was to be left for the enemy to use as they pleased. Four figures were standing already beneath the light on the other side, half smiling, half frowning.

Once Lambo's sandaled feet touched the pavement, they were all in. Tsuna followed suit as Mukuro walked menacingly slowly to the center. "No guns, no lights, no fire, no dirty tricks," he said curtly, smiling.

Gokudera caught sight of two figures hiding in the two corners of School M's side. It was 6 to 5 in their favor. The other rule: no outside help could come into the gate after the fight had begun. So technically, School M was still playing by the rules. The silver-haired one scoffed and took a step back, clenching his fist at their disadvantage. Yamamoto looked at him and smiled, but Gokudera was not comforted.

Mukuro put his hand forward, and Tsuna stared at it for a moment before doing the same.

"Wait."

All heads turned in the direction of School K's fence. Someone leapt effortlessly over the gate before alighting gracefully by Yamamoto's side. Tsuna was alarmed to see the hall monitor Hibari standing with them, and Mukuro was also surprised by the extra help and the now-even odds.

Yamamoto thanked Hibari for coming, and the hall monitor nodded to the center. "You may begin whenever you like."

Tsuna and Mukuro's eyes met again, and this time, their hands did as well. The battle was underway.

Tsuna leapt back, deciding not to go one-on-one against an opponent who had hurt him so badly in the past. The figures in the corners had made their way inward, one strong man taller than anyone else, and another small girl with pink hair.

Weapons such as planks, knives, and chains, as well as anything they found in the field, were permitted, but Tsuna and his friends felt uneasy about going all out against a team with two girls. But a fight was a fight, and even though the situation was different, these guys were the same.

To everyone's surprise, Hibari dashed forward first, his discipline-use tonfa held in each hand. Mukuro blocked it with his gloved hand and pushed the monitor off himself, sending his two comrades in to surround him. Yamamoto and Gokudera were already in their positions and before long, the battle had split into two sides, everyone occupied with another person with a gap down the center of the cement area.

Ryohei, who used to have a code against hitting girls, had been forced to fight Chrome. She held a long pole that had been broken off something and handled it with great ease for a girl her size. Ryohei was at a disadvantage, but he knew the sooner he took care of this opponent, the sooner he could move on to helping his friends. He punched her face and successfully landed the blow, too late to see that she'd done that to gain a hit on him. He felt his shoulder bruise as the pole she made look so light collided with his body. The force was more substantial than the purposely weak punch he'd hit her with, and he knew better than to go easy on her now.

The tall one with marks on his face had taken Hibari away from his leader and led him to a corner to fight. "I don't have time for you, weakling," Hibari warned, straightening up and showing his tonfa's solid edges to his opponent. "Let me fight your leader so I can spare your life."

The dark one simply smiled and started spinning the long chain in a steady rhythm. "My name is Lancia. I suggest you remember it well." Hibari's eyes watched the end of the chain carefully, and when the timing was oppurtune, it lashed out towards him.

Blocking it with his right tonfa, the chain seemed to extend as Hibari underestimated the chain's length and it wrapped around his weapon. It would have consumed his arm as well if he hadn't let go, letting Lancia drag one of his tools towards himself. Narrowing his eyes, Hibari said, "I thought we agreed on no dirty tricks."

Lancia smiled again, disposing of the weapon by tossing it out of the gate. "Illusions are not tricks. They only seem that way if you allow yourself to fall for them." He swung the chain out again, Hibari dodging it narrowly. "And only fools fall for such things."

"Watch your mouth." Hibari was within reach of his enemy now, and the chain gave him a disadvantage at close combat. He let his foot hit the other in the knee, bringing him down to his level so he could bring his remaining tonfa up with great force against Lancia's chin. But while the man did not flinch greatly, his hand jerked back.

"Hibari, look out!" Yamamoto watched in horror as the chain whipped towards Hibari's unsuspecting side, tearing a piece of his shirt off his back and knocking him down. "Dammit," Yamamoto cursed, running towards Hibari.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Ken chimed in noisily, stepping in Yamamoto's path. "Your fight is with me." The dark-haired one narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the long, metal object in his hand.

Ken reached out to punch Yamamoto across the face, but the other's reflexes pulled him back to dodge it. However, his face was cut by a knife that had been hidden in Ken's hand. "So, you're into hiding knives, huh?"

Yamamoto licked the end of his thumb to smear the blood forming on his cheek, leaving himself open for Ken to strike again. Sidestepping this time, he raised his black weapon and brought it down towards Ken's open side.

"Heh, with a club that blunt, you won't even leave a mark!" Ken straightened, but not fast enough to dodge as the sound of steel was heard and he saw silver rather than black.

A large slash marred Ken's chest as blood poured from his entire frontside, staining his uniform red. "Uuaaah, what the fuck-?" He fell back and looked up to see Yamamoto standing above him with a well-crafted katana in his hands, the black cloth case that had hidden it so well fluttering in the wind. His eyes widened. "I'm done for," he said, strain in his voice. But when Hibari's cry was heard, Ken's life was spared as Yamamoto ran to his friend's aid.

"I told you not to underestimate me," Lancia growled, tightening the bind of the chain wrapped around Hibari's neck. "However, I'm surprised a hall monitor had such street-fighting experience." He referred to the end of the tonfa that had been stuck between Hibari's neck and the chain at the last second, preventing the perfect wrap that could've severed his head. However, Hibari was now weaponless.

"You...won't live through-!" Hibari was unable to finish his sentence as the chain was pulled tighter again. He struggled for air and his vision became blurry. Lancia was saying something he couldn't hear.

"Let him go!" Yamamoto sprinted towards Lancia and brought his sword up to slash at his neck. When Lancia stepped back, he instead saw that the boy's hand was empty. He turned back to Hibari a second too late.

The blade of the katana easily severed the rusted chain, the sword now in the boy's other hand. His weapon fell slack in his hands and Lancia jumped back from the two, allowing Yamamoto to untie the chain from Hibari's neck and pull him to his feet. "Are you okay?" Yamamoto asked, letting Hibari lean on him for support. His brown eyes focused on the man before them, still holding a shortened chain with the intent of fighting with it.

On the other end of the court, Lambo was wrestling the pink-haired girl to the ground and pressing his thumbs against her neck, trying to knock her out in the most peaceful way possible. His face was already covered with fingernail scratches, and her hands continued to claw at his eyes. "I'm sorry," was all he could say as he considered why I-pin had been left out of this fight. However, the girl's knee came up and struck Lambo in the abdomen, loosening his grip for the second she needed to escape.

Lambo stood carefully, flexing his sore fingers. He saw a trace of the name "M.M" on her nametag. The girl could see his weakness and contempt for fighting already. "People like you never survive on the battlefield," she said, massaging her neck. "I'll take you out in second." Lambo watched as she picked up a baseball bat that had been behind a trash can. "Time to die!"

No matter how firmly Gokudera grabbed his opponent's arm or how quickly he aimed a kick to their ankles, Chikusa dodged and countered every move, wasting Gokudera's energy and preserving his own. "Damn you," Gokudera hissed, kicking up a flurry of dust to blind Chikusa as he dove against the wall, treating a small cut on his collarbone. "That guy's too fast," he noted to himself, keeping a close look-out for his enemy as well as his friend, Tsuna.

"You can't hide forever," came Chikusa quiet, low voice. Gokudera held his breath as a rock smashed into the wall an inch away from his face. "Come out and fight me." The silver-haired one searched fruitlessly for a weapon of some kind, but the space was bare. Finally, Gokudera stood up and lunged for Chikusa.

His attempt was ruined as Chikusa sidestepped and caught Gokudera by the arm, pinning it behind him. However, he freed himself from the other's grip quickly and tumbled onto the ground, keeping his stance low. Having not seen what Chikusa fought with yet, his options were open, and he had no advantages. He caught a glimpse of movement to his right and watched for a second as the leaders faced off against each other.

Their battle, which one would think would be the most careful of all, was the most heated and they were both taking more injuries than any of their teamates. Mukuro had locked one of Tsuna's hands by holding the wrist tightly and keeping it away from himself, and they were forced to fight each other single-handedly, neither one about to give in. Tsuna was focusing on punches to Mukuro's vital spots while Mukuro concentrated on limiting factors such as Tsuna's mobility and sight.

"Let go of me!" Tsuna ordered with clenched teeth, trying to pull his hand away while keeping Mukuro a good distance from himself. The other student had no choice but to release his hold on Tsuna if he was to use his weapon. He backed up a ways, but Tsuna was upon him in seconds, slugging his right hand forcefully against Mukuro's jaw.

The boy staggered back, holding his hand against his face. "Cocky brat," he said, spitting out a broken tooth in a stream of blood. Tsuna didn't hold back as he rushed to Mukuro again, punching towards his face. Mukuro ducked just in time, but Tsuna's knee came up to meet him just below the ribs, the sound of bones breaking. "K-kuh, this kid is..."

"I'll make you sorry for what you did back then," Tsuna promised, watching with hatred as Mukuro crumpled to the concrete. He brought back his leg to kick Mukuro into unconsciousness, but something in the distance stopped him. "No, it can't be..."

With that second's hesitation, Mukuro swung a long rod across the pavement and knocked Tsuna's feet out from under him, bringing his skull into contact with the hard cement. His vision swerved, but he remembered seeing the blue and red flickering lights that were approaching them, nearer and nearer with his every heartbeat.

Title credit: The Transplants: Gangstas & Thugs (song)


	3. Searing

Chapter Three : Searing

The whine of a single siren poured out into the night air so as not to wake the public as more than that single police car turned the curb. Ken, pressuring his bleeding wound, looking frantically over his back to see the vehicles coming closer. "Mukuro!"

Mukuro, however, was standing unsteadily above the delirious body of Tsuna, who still struggled for consciousness. "Well? How does it feel, Sawada?" he asked, smiling through gritted, bloody teeth. "Still going to put me in my place?" Tsuna's heated eyes blinked up at the mirage of a person standing near him. "How about it?"

"Shit, the cops!" Yamamoto adjusted Hibari's weight on his shoulder and turned, looking at Gokudera who was staring in fear at the approaching cars. "We gotta get out of here!" Ryohei, bruised and bloodied by Chrome's attacks, made for the gate, climbing over it with Lambo on his heels. "Tsuna!"

Tsuna forced himself up with one arm. Mukuro's attention had been directed at the police, and his face turned to a deep scowl at the unwanted company. "How did they find out?" The cars parked, and while the gangstas were trying to flee, the police, as well as some other familiar faces, stepped out.

"That's them," Xanxus said to the police, Iemitsu, Dino, and Squalo by his side.

Dino nodded in agreement. "They came all the way out here. Looks like they've been fighting for a while." The police opened the gate, a handful of the gangstas still inside. Mukuro stood his ground, his hand inside his coat. Tsuna watched him as carefully as he could, knowing he was in trouble with his dad standing right there.

Ken was backed up against one side of the gate, staring wide-eyed at Mukuro. "What are you doing? We gotta get out of here, or they'll take us to JDC again!" Mukuro didn't move, a smile forming on his lips. "Come on!"

"I'll teach those motherfuckers a lesson about interrupting our fights," he said quietly. He finally removed his hand from his coat, as well as a small, black pistol. None of the adults seemed to notice the well-camflouged gun.

Tsuna, however, narrowed his eyes. _So he did bring a gun._ The boy pointed it at the police cars like a professional, his finger on the trigger. "Mu-Mukuro," Tsuna tried, his head finally supressing the pain.

Police officers spoke to their headquarters with walkie-talkies on their shoulders, saying "the kid has a gun, I repeat, he has a gun." The teachers saw this as well.

"Tsuna, let's get out of here!" Yamamoto had cut the lock off the K-side gate door, Hibari and Gokudera waiting with him. "We gotta go!" Tsuna was immobile at the thought of Mukuro, not only cheating by bringing a gun, but threatening to use one against adults. Police officers no less.

"Shit, what's that kid doing?" Xanxus cursed, making his way towards the gate. "All of you get out here with your hands up! That means you, Mukuro!"

Mukuro laughed quietly, tilting the gun to the side and aiming it at Xanxus. "I don't think so." He pulled the trigger, the gunshot seeming to stop every other sound in the area at that moment as smoke swarmed the area.

"Xanxus!" Squalo tried to run to his friend, but Dino held him back. "Let go of me! Xanxus is-!"

"There isn't anything you can do!" Dino told him, pulling the violently struggling Squalo out of the gun's range. "It's too dangerous."

"How could that child-?!" Iemitsu, seething with rage, watched as the cloud of smoke from the gun expanded and receded, showing the crowd that Mukuro and his comrades had disappeared. "Impossible!"

Tsuna coughed hoarsely in the smokescreen, waving a hand in front of his face. He could faintly make out the pulsing lights of the police cars, but his hearing failed him for the moment, the only sound the ringing in his ears. He did notice that Mukuro's figure had vanished from his side.

"That much smoke from a pistol?" Gokudera asked incredulously, watching as it became clearer before running to Tsuna. "Are you okay?"

"He's gone." Tsuna stood carefully, leaning on his friend for support, as his dad made his way into the gate. "I'm in trouble now. You guys, get the hell out of here."

"I'm not leaving!" Gokudera argued. Yamamoto shook his head too, but Hibari pushed himself off.

"I refuse to be seen here under these circumstances," he said lowly, Yamamoto bending closer to him to hear. "My reputation would be ruined. I'll see you tomorrow, whether you're in JDC or not." Yamamoto nodded and let Hibari go, the hall monitor leaving with the same agile grace he'd arrived with.

Dino let go of Squalo, unable to get to Xanxus's side first. Squalo knelt by the other teacher and immediately started looking for injuries. "Are you okay?! Did he hit you? Where does it hurt? Should I call an ambulance? Why didn't you-!" Xanxus grabbed the man's hand and held it in his own for a moment.

"He missed. That's understandable, since it's dark." Xanxus and Squalo's eyes met for only a second, and Squalo understood. Another car pulled up behind them, and Dr. Shamal got out.

"Sorry I'm late," he said gravely, his eyes not leaving the center of the fighting grounds, where Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto all stood. "I figured as much. Iemitsu just couldn't leave it alone, could he?" His dark eyes moved to Xanxus and Squalo on the ground, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you two here? I don't see any of your students anywhere."

"They fled," Dino explained, shaking his head. "Unlike anything I'd ever seen before."

Iemitsu left the children with a warning that night. He gave them a ride back to school and told them he wanted to see them in his office the next day. They all knew things would go from bad to worse, but what could they do? The only thing that remained constant was their rule when it came to this: don't rat out anyone who didn't get caught.

v v v v v v v v v v

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

School the next day was unbelievable. Why they hadn't agreed to have the fight on a Friday, they did not know. But sitting in class was torture.

This wasn't the first time they had a fight and came to class the next day. This wasn't the first time they sat in the back of the room with bandages all over their bodies. This wasn't the first time they fell asleep in class because they stayed up too late washing blood out of their clothes and out of the cuts that decorated their skin.

But this _was_ the first time any of them had seen a gun involved in their match. This _was_ the first time the cops had come so quickly, along with staff from their school. This _was_ the first time Iemitsu, the superintendent and Tsuna's father, had caught them red-handed in an actual street fight, where they could've _died_.

Dino warily avoided calling on them during class, not wanting to attract attention to them any more than he wanted to speak to them at all. Humiliating them could wait until they were better.

Iemitsu would be keeping a close eye on them all day, so skipping class was out of the question. But once the bell rang at 3:00, they made their way to Tsuna's room, not concerned with getting caught at all.

Tsuna sat on his bed with a bandage wrapped around his head from where he got hurt. He looked at Gokudera, who's body was cut in several places. Yamamoto managed to get away with a small cut on his face, but Ryohei was covered in bruises and Lambo had scratches from the girl's fingers and bruises from the baseball bat. Their injuries were mild for the most part, but then again, so was their fight.

"That was supposed to settle this once and for all," Gokudera complained, lighting a cigarette without waiting a second longer. "And then the damn cops had to show up."

Yamamoto scratched the back of his head in thought, sighing softly. "Yeah, but when you think about it, at least now we know a little more about our enemies. Next time we see them, we'll know their every move." Gokudera refrained from mentioning that his opponent didn't have a weapon, and he didn't know anything about them.

"If there is a next time," Lambo reminded them, leaning back in Tsuna's chair. "The school already bans bullying and violence, and not to mention if we'd killed anyone, we'd have broken the law."

Ryohei nodded from his spot, leaning against the wall. "We're going to get in serious trouble, and I doubt we'll have an encounter like that again."

"_I'm _going to get in trouble," Tsuna insisted with a sincere smile. Everyone stared at him in shock. "Not you guys. I'll take responsibility for any type of punishment that gets directed at you. After all, I-"

"Absolutely not!" Gokudera slammed a fist on the bed, glaring at Tsuna with overly-protective friendship. "I won't let you take the blame for all of this! I'm just as guilty as you are!" Yamamoto, too, placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"We're all in this together. If your dad says something to you, make sure he says it to us, too." Tsuna smiled and touched Yamamoto's hand. Ryohei and Lambo, as well as Hibari, would get away this time. But these gangstas stood up for each other and no one took full blame.

Once the sun was shining in through the window, Gokudera looked at the clock. "It's almost five. We have to go talk to your dad." The three left the room, and Ryohei and Lambo wished them good luck, heading back to their rooms in fear of running into Hibari again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School M** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Mukuro's gang met, things were much darker. Mukuro sat in his leather chair, his legs crossed and his fingers interlaced, elbows on the arm rests. Ken was stretched out on the sofa, leaving just enough room for Chrome to sit by him. Chikusa was leaning against the wall in the shadows, his arms folded.

"That could've gone a lot better," Mukuro said patiently. Chrome nodded, Ken yawned, and Chikusa did nothing. "I hope we see those brats again, so we can finish them off for good."

"Lancia and M.M. were a big help, though," Chikusa returned. "But I was most surprised to see that hall monitor show up. I expected that Chinese girl who does the martial arts to be there."

"She would've been too easy!" Ken groused, stretching out further on the sofa, but wincing in pain when he felt the sting of his injury. "That swordsman on the other hand-"

"Swordsman?" Mukuro opened an eye to look at Ken, before it closed again. "I didn't see anything like that."

"Yamamoto, the tall one, had a katana disguised as a large, blunt object," Chikusa pointed out, running his fingers absently over the bruises on his arms. "But if anyone was hiding weapons in that match, it was you, Mukuro." The leader smiled, feeling the spot where Tsuna had punched him twinge in pain. "An actual gun, and you merely used it to help us escape. We could've finished them off."

"I play by the rules," Mukuro remarked, leaning back in his chair to feel his broken ribs shift.

Chrome, who had been silent through the entire meeting, finally raised her voice. "But did you all see Mr. Xanxus?" she asked innocently, looking around.

"Yeah!" Ken sat up instantly, glaring at Mukuro. "Why the hell did you miss? You could've gotten rid of at least _one_ pain in our ass!"

Mukuro frowned at Ken's tone, glancing at him coldly. "I assure you, I was aiming right at him." There was a moment of silent confusion as they wondered how Mukuro could've missed under such circumstances. "It doesn't matter. The real problem is School K. Shooting my teacher would've created too many questions."

The gang leader of School M stood carefully, so as not to further injure himself. "If you see a single one of those bastards in town, take them out. Don't hesitate." With that, he left the room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The hallways of School K were stained bright orange as the sun began to disappear below the horizon. Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto exited the office of the super intendent. None of them said anything as they headed back to their rooms. But when Yamamoto caught sight of the hall monitor finishing his duties for the day, he sent the other two off and promised to catch up with them later.

"Hey," Yamamoto began, slowly approaching Hibari. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better," came Hibari's low reply. "I see you just finished talking to Mr. Sawada."

Yamamoto laughed quietly in the empty hallway, looking back at the office door. "Yeah. Nothing serious." They stood there quietly for a moment, listening to the sound of the other's footsteps fade away. "I'm sorry for getting you caught up in this," Yamamoto said sincerely, looking at the polished floors. "But...thank you for-"

"You don't have to thank me," Hibari said, pulling at the collar of his uniform shirt. Yamamoto noticed this and frowned.

"You aren't okay at all. Let me take a look at your injury-"

"No, it's nothing." Hibari pushed his friend away. "I just don't want the other students to see me injured, so I've been hiding it all day." When he noticed Yamamoto's scolding look, he added, "I'm sorry. I couldn't bandage it before I got here, so-"

"Kyouya," Yamamoto took a step closer to his friend, and Hibari backed up, feeling the wall behind him. "Let me look at it. It's probably worse than you think."

Hibari couldn't stop Yamamoto as his swift hands undid his tie. "Takeshi," Hibari tried to pull the other's hands away, but his shirt was already partly unbuttoned and Yamamoto's coarse fingers were examining his damaged skin.

Bruises encircled nearly every portion of his neck and imprints of the chain were sometimes visible where the hold became too tight. Yamamoto bit his lip and said nothing for a while. "Is it that bad?" Hibari asked, his eyes closed.

"It...it's worse than I thought," was all Yamamoto could manage before they could hear the footsteps of two people drawing near again. Yamamoto hurriedly fixed Hibari's tie while the prefect buttoned his shirt, wondering why Tsuna and Gokudera were coming back so soon. However, the footsteps were placed farther apart than a teenager's and the two exchanged glances. School was out for the day, after all.

Two adults came around the corner in time to see Yamamoto let go of Hibari's tie. The students' eyes widened at the sight and one of the teachers smirked knowingly at their secretive behavior, walking on.

"We're looking for the superintendent," Squalo quickly explained, as if he would get a demerit if he didn't address his mission to the hall monitor. Hibari nodded, but Yamamoto watched as Squalo hastened to catch up with Xanxus.

"That's the teacher Mukuro shot at," Yamamoto whispered, not taking his eyes off them as they entered the office. "I thought he'd been hit."

"Maybe he was and he's just hiding it," Hibari offered in likeness to himself. "It's not difficult to act like you didn't get injured." Yamamoto dropped the thought entirely and walked with Hibari to his room. Although it was a rare sight to see two School M teachers in School K, neither of them worried about it, considering the circumstances and the events that had happened the night before.


	4. Rising Tensions

Chapter Four : Rising Tensions

Things had gotten back to normal enough for the gangstas of School K to start skipping school again, and so they were one day, walking down the sidewalks to the nearest café. "Did anyone do the report that was due today?" Lambo asked quietly, almost positive no one did it.

"Which one?" Gokudera growled in reply, staring straight ahead and taking a drag off his cigarette.

"The one for Dino's class-"

"Nope," Tsuna, Gokudera and Ryohei all said in unison. Lambo knew it didn't matter which report it was, they wouldn't have done it anyway. However, Yamamoto was pleasantly silent and smiling.

"I did the whole thing." When he looked at everyone's shocked faces, he laughed nervously. "I mean, Hibari kept bothering me about it. I know he works under Dino sometimes, so he probably wanted at least _one_ paper to grade."

"You had better not be getting soft on us," Gokudera warned him, grinding his cigarette on the top of the trash can before entering the café. The five of them sat around a table, Lambo having to pull up an extra chair. "I noticed you've been spending a considerable amount of time with that hall monitor since the fight. And before it, even."

"It's nothing." Yamamoto brushed the subject off casually with the wave of his hand. "No one even talks about the fight anymore."

Ryohei shook his head, absently pushing grains of salt around on the table. "Or what was _supposed_ to be a fight anyway. That's probably why no one talks about it anymore." Lambo and Tsuna nodded in agreement, but Gokudera refused to believe that their efforts had been in vain.

Once they all had their drinks, Gokudera asked Yamamoto, "What was the last thing Hibari said about the fight? Did he say he was ever going to help us again, or is he finished with us completely?" While he silently hoped he would never have to see that hall monitor outside of school ever again, he was disappointed by Yamamoto's answer.

"He said he'll help us fight until he personally gets revenge on both the guy he fought and Mukuro." They took their seats again, Yamamoto sighing. "Hibari is the type of person who has to get even with people. I wouldn't expect him to ditch us any time soon."

Gokudera grumbled something to himself as Tsuna talked to Lambo about their punishment. Yamamoto added a few details, and Ryohei spent a while looking around inside the café. "Man, this place is deserted. What's the deal?" Gokudera also noticed the particularly small number of customers that afternoon. "I usually see more people than this."

"Maybe something's going on. I'm not worried about it." Gokudera leaned back and almost fell backwards when he saw something, but Yamamoto caught his chair, reflexes never dulled. "I-is that-?!"

"Looks like the Kokuyo gang," Tsuna said, standing up. Chikusa, Ken, Chrome and Lancia all stood, too. "Scaring off the customers, huh?"

"How long have they been here? I didn't even see them come in!" Gokudera stood by his leader's side, putting a hand on his wrist. "If they want to fight, you know we have to get out of here." Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Lambo all pretended not to notice. "Come on..."

Ken's face split into a grin and he beckoned the others to come forward, Chikusa and Lancia starting to close in on them. Lambo and Ryohei grabbed their drinks and Yamamoto, with his back to the other gang, just smiled to himself. "Run for it!"

The five of them were out the door so fast, their drinks were never paid for. Tsuna turned a sharp left and headed down an alley, the other four splitting up, some crossing the street, some running down the sidewalk. No matter where they went, the Kokuyo was on their heels.

"I don't want to get in trouble again," Gokudera complained, knocking over a trash can to obscure Chikusa's path as he turned the corner. He dove into an alley and lit a cigarette, keeping quiet and low between bags of garbage. Chikusa's shadow appeared, elongated by the sun and stretching down the length of the alley.

Gokudera closed his eyes and held his breath until Chikusa began to move away. _Yes, he's leaving_. However, he'd only taken one step before the chime of Gokudera's ringtone pierced the heavy outside air. Gokudera quickly snatched his phone up and looked at the face. "M-Miura?!" Chikusa was standing above him now.

"I suggest you turn that off so we can fight without interruption," he advised, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Gokudera put it on silent, looked down the alley, and saw that it was a dead end. "Last time, I didn't even get to use my weapon on you. I'll make sure you see it this time."

"Not a chance." Gokudera stepped back and clenched his fists. _If I hit him once, I can maybe make an escape behind him and run_. He continued walking back as Chikusa drew nearer. _That bastard Mukuro must've given them permission to fight in town if they saw us. That's risking it._

He threw a punch to Chikusa's face but barely skimmed his jaw, dashing to the right for his escape anyway. When he felt Chikusa grab his hair, he cursed to himself. _Didn't make it!_

Chikusa's cry was heard and his hold released. A hand pushed Gokudera out of the alley and the silver-haired one immediately started running, someone landing by his side shortly after. It was Yamamoto.

"The hell did you come from?" Gokudera asked, thinking again of the dead end.

"Up there," Yamamoto pointing behind them at one of the tall buildings that surrounded the alley. They turned another corner, still running side by side as fast as they could. "You probably didn't see me."

"I don't want to admit it," Gokudera said grudgingly between breaths. "But you run a lot faster than me. I didn't even see you go inside." He glanced at Yamamoto for a moment to see him holding a silver baseball bat, a small bloodstain on it. "You hit him with your bat?" Yamamoto nodded. "Why the fuck did you have that with you?"

"I always have it with me," the athlete replied with a smile. They slowed down their pace when they were in a busy area of town, where if the Kokuyo dared to make a move, the police would be on them in an instant.

"You should've brought that to the fight." Gokudera stopped running and bent over, his hands on his knees as he panted for breath. Yamamoto kept careful watch, not looking remotely tired. The streets were busy this time of day, and none of the School M students were in sight.

"Are you saying my sword wasn't any help?" he asked Gokudera, who glared at him. "I'd rather bring a weapon suitable for fighting instead of sports equipment." Gokudera knew Yamamoto's sword probably gave them an advantage during the fight, but he knew he didn't "always have" his bat with him for any other reason besides protecting himself, and apparently Gokudera too.

Yamamoto slapped his friend on the back when he started coughing, and the two started walking again. "Maybe you wouldn't have such a hard time if you'd quit smoking so much."

"Shut up," Gokudera replied, subconsciously putting away a cigarette he'd just gotten out. "Did you see which way the others went?"

"No idea. But we should get indoors. I don't want to start any more problems." Gokudera looked at his phone again. "Someone call you?"

"Yeah, Miura, actually. She's probably wondering why I'm not in class." He rolled his eyes and followed Yamamoto inside, missing the action that just passed him by.

Lambo jumped onto the top of a parked car, startling nearby people. Chrome, who'd been chasing him, stabbed her spiked pole into the roof of the car, narrowly missing Lambo but propelling herself forward with the force. "Mukuro told me not to let any of you get away," she said quietly, leaping from car to car in pursuit of her prey. "Please slow down."

"N-no way," Lambo answered, extending his jump onto the hood of a convertible. He slid off the next car and turned around the block, hoping to lead her away from people. She obediently followed, catching up to Lambo in heeled boots. "Dammit, she's fast."

Lambo slipped and fell on his knee, feeling the girl's shadow above him. She raised her weapon above her head and, seeming to have no conscience, brought it down.

The boy felt no pain though and opened his eyes to see his comrade's silhouette blocking that of hers. "Go," Tsuna's voice commanded, his gloved hands shaking as he tried to hold the girl's attack from Lambo. Nodding, Lambo stood and limped off, not looking back when he heard Tsuna yell in pain.

"In here!" Gokudera's hand pulled Lambo into the building where he and Yamamoto had been resting. "Did you find Tsuna?" Lambo could only nod in weak shock before Gokudera tore out of the building, Yamamoto tending Lambo's wound.

Tsuna's gloves had been torn when Chrome raked the jagged edges of the rod against his defending hands. Gokudera appeared by him in time to stop Chrome's next attack. She knew she was outnumbered and began to look around, appearing so lost neither Tsuna nor Gokudera wanted to hurt her.

The girl closed her eye and after a brief pause, nodded. Without another word, she leapt out of their sight. "Where'd she go?" Tsuna asked, looking around as wildly as Gokudera was. "She disappeared."

Yamamoto and Lambo emerged from the building. "She's gone?" Lambo asked. "I think she must've received a message from Mukuro to retreat."

"A message? Are you insane?!" Gokudera stomped his foot and glared at Lambo. "She didn't have a phone or communicator of any kind! She probably just reconsidered her position once I came out here." The four of them continued to look around in surprise, though. "But I'd never seen someone make an exit like that. She's fast."

Lambo nodded in agreement. "I would guess that's because of her size."

"Maybe, maybe not, but guys?" They all directed their attention to Yamamoto. "Wherever Ryohei is, it's likely that he was chased by both Ken and Lancia. I haven't seen either of them yet. We have to find him, fast."

"Damn," Tsuna cursed, staring at his ruined gloves but angry about something else entirely. "We may be too late. But I really don't want us splitting up again."

After a small silence, Gokudera said, "I'll look for him. The rest of you, get back to school or something. Lambo, your injury looks bad. Have Dr. Shamal take care of it. You too, Tsuna." With a nod of thanks, Tsuna watched Gokudera head in the direction he thought Ryohei would have gone.

v v v v v v v v v v

Ken hit the wall of the building with enough force to knock him out, Chikusa already recovering on the floor. Chrome sat with no emotion in her eyes except maybe pity as Mukuro raised his weapon. "So, you let them get away, huh?" he said with a disbelieving smirk on his lips. "I guess I should've expected that from such a useless gang."

Mukuro knew better than to beat up on a girl like Chrome, and he knew Lancia wouldn't feel a thing he hit him with. Chikusa and Ken, however, were receiving their punishment in full. "M-Mukuro," Ken managed, seeing stars from his position on the floor. "I injured...that one. Sasagawa...I got him better than we did at the fight." Mukuro jabbed the blonde in the ribs, eliciting a groan of pain from him.

"That's not good enough. It's not like we have an upcoming fight and I need them handicapped when we get there," Mukuro sneered, kicking Chikusa so he'd stay down. "The thing is, our fight is over! Your duty was to kill them!"

"Then why did you call us back?" Lancia raised his voice for the first time that evening, glaring at Mukuro with hatred. "Why did you tell us they weren't worth it at the last minute? I could've finished them off for good!"

Mukuro just stared at him, his varicolored eyes looking for an ounce of sense in Lancia's words. His open-mouthed frown, as if he were going to say something, remained that way until he shook his head and looked away, smiling slightly. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"The command to retreat," Chikusa said through bloodied lips, trying in vain to see through his cracked lenses. "We could've hunted them down and killed them...as you wished...but you're the one who gave the order to stop-"

"I gave no such order!" Mukuro barked, slamming his fist against a wooden table which immediately collapsed under the pressure. The outburst shocked them all into silence. "I said nothing of the sort! Don't you _dare_ try to pin this on me!"

Chrome lowered her head, her violet eye closing in thought. "I heard your voice, Mukuro," she said quietly. Mukuro gave her a puzzled look.

"I saw you...standing not far away from us," Ken explained, looking at Lancia. "'_That's enough_', you said."

"'_Don't waste your time on...'_" Chikusa raised a hand to wipe the blood from his face.

"_Those pitiful fools_.' That's what you said," Chrome opened her eye, now gleaming with sadness and begging Mukuro to stop his attacks against his friends. "I heard you. They aren't lying, Mukuro. I heard you."

"Nonsense." Mukuro slumped against the wall, dropping the metal pole to the wooden floors. "That's impossible. I never left this building." He looked around the room to see equal confusion on his comrades' faces. "I...I didn't...say anything like that. I never said that." He would never apologize for his misunderstanding. He wouldn't offer to help mend the wounds he caused.

But he would find out what happened, becuase Mukuro refused to accept that someone had gotten the better of him.

v v v v v v v v v v

Ryohei stood outside the School K Nurse's office, Tsuna by his side. School would be out in about an hour, and they didn't want to be seen by students and teachers they hadn't seen all day. The two stepped inside, Dr. Shamal sitting with his back to them. "Dr. Shamal," Tsuna began, looking around for bandages so at least he could make a quick escape.

The doctor took off his glasses and swiveled his chair around to face them, sliding a paper over what he'd been reading. "Where's your pass?" he immediately said before recognizing who they were. He sighed to himself, knowing they didn't have passes because they hadn't been in class. Their injuries were too serious to reprimand them for simple things. "Nevermind. Have a seat, you two."

"I'll just get some bandages and go," Tsuna said, picking up a roll of gauze and heading for the door. "Thanks. Don't tell Dino I was here." Shamal flinched at the sound of a student using a teacher's first name so casually, but let it go. Ryohei took a seat before the doctor, eyeing the papers warily.

Needles and blades glistened in the light as Shamal pulled out a tray of materials to treat Ryohei's cuts. "You're probably used to this by now," Shamal said for conversation, using an alcohol wipe on the suture needle and then on some of Ryohei's more serious inujuries.

"Yeah, I am." Ryohei directed his attention away from the papers he couldn't read and instead to the doctor. "Aren't you?"

Shamal laughed curtly, pulling the stitch towards himself and glancing at Ryohei for a short second. "I guess you could say that, but I sure as hell don't like it."

"You don't like your job?" the student asked, not even wincing as Shamal put the needle through him again. When the doctor shook his head, Ryohei asked, "Then why do you work here?"

Dr. Shamal shook his head again, cutting the excess thread from Ryohei's arm. "Well, I guess you could say I have to."

"They could probably find another doctor in the area in no time," the boy said, leaning back in the chair as Shamal started on another cut.

"No, it's not like that," Shamal began. He carefully avoided Ryohei's eyes as he said, "It's more like I'm forced to work here. Think of it as an _obligation_." Ryohei didn't know what to say, but he knew the doctor was finished talking to him, and that he'd probably said too much already.

-- A/N: Abrupt ending again. I'm good at that. Anyway, I know this story is getting a lot more hits than reviews because of the stats. That means about 20 of you have read up to chapter 3 and not said anything. Would it hurt you to tell me what you think? Either way, I'll keep uploading, so if you're busy, don't worry about it.


	5. Something Not Fitting

Chapter Five : Something Not Fitting

_I could feel the rain stinging my wounds as I lied on the concrete, equally chilling laughter easily audible over the pouring rain. Laughter elevated into hysterics and I felt my hands tremble in the cold, my vision swimming. He was standing a few feet away from me, his face turned up to the black sky, his mouth open and his body shaking with laughter. Every visible section of his skin was red with blood despite the rain that tried to wash it away._

_I felt a hand grab my shoulder, its owner coughing up blood I could see just to my right, splattering onto the cement and letting me know I wasn't the only one suffering. Another hand squeezed my left hand, trying to warm it, to see if I was alive, to tell me it was okay, to tell me he was here for me. But I was immobile. The sight of that person was all I could see, his grin of joy the counterpart to my misery. As lightning stuck, his eyes were wide-eyed and staring at me, one blue and empty, the other crimson and pouring blood._

"Aaah!" Tsuna's body jerked and he slammed his knee against the bottom of his desk. Pain rushed to his leg, but he ignored it as his eyes met Dino's, the teacher having to stop writing on the board in the middle of a word to look at his troublesome student. "S-sorry...bad dream." _Again._

Dino nodded and continued writing, as if these class interruptions were normal. Which they were. Gokudera was watching him with concern, asking if he was alright without saying anything. Ryohei just smiled reassuringly. Yamamoto was asleep too, and not even Tsuna's outburst woke him.

Gokudera stood and walked to the front of the room to throw something out. The sight of Yamamoto's report on the top of the turn-in pile made him angry and sick to his stomach. It was practically their duty, if not just a habit, to never do homework. And he did. For Hibari. All that work would go to waste.

He glared at the sleeping figure on his way back to his desk, but knew he couldn't change Yamamoto's mind. Because in his own, he assumed Yamamoto would stray from their gang for the sake of people at school who he knew, talked to, and liked. More than him and Tsuna.

"Sooo, who knows the answer to this one?" Dino asked, looking out over the class. "Yamamoto."

Ryohei kicked the baseball player's desk discreetly, waking him up. His brown eyes moved from Dino, to the board, to his textbook, then to his notes. "I would have to say," he began, surprisingly on track considering he'd been sleeping. "The Muromachi Period."

Dino paused, then shook his head. "No, it's actually the Azuchi-Momoyama. Good try though." Yamamoto just looked in confusion from his notes to the textbook, growing more confused with his every glance.

"Sir," came a voice they all recognized. Hibari, who had been sitting at Dino's computer, probably grading things for him, was watching his teacher with little emotion. "Ta- Yamamoto is actually correct. The Muromachi Period." The blonde teacher flipped through his textbook, rarely doubting his aid but almost always doubting his students.

"Looks like you're right," he mumbled, scratching his head. "My mistake. Very good, Yamamoto." The student just smiled, not at all spiteful about the fact that he'd outsmarted their history teacher for once. Gokudera and Ryohei just exchanged dumb-founded glances.

After about three minutes, Ryohei's cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked it and read, _Did Yamamoto seriously just get an answer right in class?_

Gokudera's phone vibrated a little later. _And did mr dino just get one wrong? Hibari had to correct him?!_

_I also noticed Hibari almost call Yamamoto by his first name. I didnt know they were that close!_

_  
That would bother you._

Gokudera slammed his phone shut after reading Ryohei's last message, terminating the conversation completely while Ryohei tried not to laugh.

Tsuna was rubbing his knee thoughtlessly, watching the clock and praying for class to end. Ever since his dad had gotten onto Tsuna again for skipping (he no doubt heard about the chase in town the day before), he'd been forced to endure long hours of Dino's class. But this enabled him to grow concerned about his friend Yamamoto, who was becoming more and more motivated to participate in class. Although it worried him, he believed Yamamoto wouldn't abandon them.

The bell finally rang and the students took to the halls, with Yamamoto staying behind to talk to Hibari. This gave Ryohei and Gokudera ample opportunity to talk about the changes they'd seen in him.

"I can't believe he's getting that close with the fucking hall monitor!" Gokudera immediately vented, turning around and grabbing his hair. "I mean, not even Lambo and I-pin talk to as many people as that guy does, and I hardly ever see them around!"

"He's just social," Ryohei reasoned with him. "Being popular isn't going to drag him away from us."

"Maybe not, but if it's not the people who do, it's the school work. If things continue the way they're going, he might even graduate!" He fell silent when he heard Yamamoto's voice inside the classroom, but couldn't make out a single word. "I swear, that guy is going to bail out on us and we'll be short another-"

"Gokudera," Tsuna said, rolling his eyes. "Yamamoto's not going anywhere. He said he'd stay with us to the end, and that's that. He's not the type to go back on a promise." Gokudera just nodded grudgingly. "You guys see Dino today? He seemed even dumber than usual."

"Everyone has an off day," Ryohei reasoned again, though he was also disturbed by the strange turn of events in class. "Now, I can't wait on him any longer. I have to go to class." While he ran off, Gokudera lit his last cigarette, watching Ryohei stop to talk to his sister.

"He's seemed pretty gung-ho about boxing lately," he noted, keeping his eyes on the subject of discussion while blowing smoke into the hallway. "I'm worried about those two."

Tsuna saw Yamamoto coming and laughed shortly, turning to walk into the hall. "You worry too _much_." Gokudera shrugged.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Yamamoto said, joining up with them. "Dino wanted to talk to me about my paper that I wrote, and then Hibari was wondering if-"

"Yeah, yeah," Gokudera rudely interrupted, most likely jealous of Yamamoto. "I'm not going to class next hour. I'm sure Mr. Sawada's done watching us."

"You two, maybe," Tsuna murmured, looking at the floor. "I hate going to a school where I have to see my dad everyday." They stepped outside, heading again for the bleachers. "It's a lot of pressure. I wonder..." The wind rustled his hair as he looked to the sky, once again facing the direction of the other building. "What it would be like to go to School M instead...?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School M** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Class had already started and the students were sitting without a teacher. Many of them were talking amongst each other, but Mukuro was too angry to say anything. Chrome was worrying deeply about something, biting her lip and staring out the large window just to her left. Ken and Chikusa, both damaged with hidden injuries, sat in brooding silence so much like their leader.

The door finally burst open, a man with long silver hair storming inside. "I'll be covering for Xanxus today!" he yelled at the students, shocking them into silence. "Now, copy everything I write on the board!"

The students got out their notebooks while Squalo slammed the textbook onto the desk, scattering papers. He violently flipped to the right page and picked up a piece of chalk, snapping it in half. Chikusa and Ken looked at each other, wondering if their substitute was even louder and more unorganized than their teacher.

Squalo wrote illegible formulas and conversion tables on the board with his left hand, holding the textbook in his right. The chalk grew smaller as Squalo pressed it forcefully against the board, the black, leather glove on his hand smeared and powdered with white dust. M.M. leaned back in her chair to see Mukuro past the person between them. "Who is this guy? I've never seen him before."

Mukuro shrugged, leaning back, too, and putting his hands behind his head. "I don't know either. But I find it peculiar for him to wear that glove on one of his hands. His dominant hand, no less."

"Judging by his handwriting, I'd say that's not his dominant hand," Lancia groused lowly, trying in vain to copy the writing on the board.

"His hair is so long and pretty," M.M. commented, greatly distracting the person between her and Mukuro. "He's actually kind of hot." Mukuro rolled his eyes, tuning out the remainder of M.M.'s conversation. The girl just giggled, looking two seats in front of her. "Don't you think so, Chrome?"

But Chrome was desperately attempting to write everything Squalo wrote, her single eye constantly shifting from her notes to the board. She gritted her teeth as she tried to read what he was writing from her disadvantageous seat. "Everyone done with this part?" Squalo stood back for a second and didn't even look at his class before he started erasing. Chrome opened her mouth to object, but the words and numbers were already gone. The girl drew a line and immediately started part two.

"He writes way too fast. I think he's a robot." Lancia gave up and set his notebook down, sighing. Mukuro laughed quietly, crumpling up a piece of paper in his hands.

"Well, let's find out, shall we?" he asked with an amused smile, pulling his hand back and launching the paper at their substitute.

The chalk hit the floor as Squalo whirled around, catching the paper ball in his gloved hand and glaring at Mukuro with impatient disgust. M.M.'s and Lancia's jaws dropped, but Mukuro merely raised an eyebrow. Squalo unfolded the paper, saw that it was blank, and started ripping it apart, focusing again on the one who threw it. "Do you have a question?" he asked, a smirk forming on his lips.

Mukuro closed his eyes and shrugged, but Ken had a question. "Are you actually going to _teach_ us anything today?"

Squalo let the sprinkles of paper fall into the wastebasket. "_Teaching_ is not actually the substitute's job," he returned matter-of-factly. With another fiendish glare at his students, Squalo said, "You all are in high school. You should be able to teach yourselves." The students shifted in opposition, but Chrome agreed with him completely in her mind.

"But teaching us is the _teacher's_ job." Ken stared at the ceiling, his feet perched on his desk edge again. "That's why we come to school. To learn."

Squalo slammed the textbook on his desk with a temper more volatile than Xanxus's. "Well your _teacher_ isn't fucking _here_ right now, so you'll have to make do with this shit I'm writing on the board!" he screamed, dragging his fingernails down the surface of the board and smearing the words he'd written with his hand.

"Squalo," came an even-toned voice the students practically missed by this point. The substitute turned to the doorway, where Xanxus stood, watching his class with bored yet annoyed eyes. He walked slowly over to his desk, the students eyes following him.

The long-haired man whispered something to the teacher, stepping back and struggling for eye contact. He went ignored as Xanxus stood at his desk, staring at the misshapen textbook and leaning forward on his hands as he usually did. "Class dismissed."

Class would've been over soon anyway, but the students were overjoyed to head out of that room early. Chrome closed her notebook with disappointment before following her friends to the door. "You all have a test over this tomorrow!" Squalo yelled after them, pretending for a moment that he had control over the lesson plans.

In the hallway, Lancia and M.M. stayed around Mukuro and his friends. "Okay, so the sub's a robot," Lancia decided, nodding wisely. "That's fucking messed up."

"No, no..." Mukuro began, looking at Lancia with a knowing smile. "I saw something else in that man's eyes that I recognize very well. And if my guess is right, it may explain several other factors that seem out of place lately."

"Like what?" Ken asked.

"For example." The group walked away from the classroom, time to spare before the next class began. "Our sub's lack of will to teach the class. Perhaps, rather, an inability to teach the class?" His group stared at him cluelessly. "Mr. Xanxus's lack of will to show up to class at all, and his apparent bad mood when he did arrive. The reason Ken doesn't understand the lesson. The reason textbooks were not assigned. The reason the sub wears that glove. The reason my fucking - bullet - _missed_!!" Mukuro slammed an angry fist against the wall, stopping.

His friends continued to watch him, not picking up on his explanation. "Don't you see? These teachers...are not supposed to be here!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You getting enough sleep at night?" Gokudera asked, watching Tsuna sit up. The sun was far below the horizon by now, Tsuna having slept through the entire day and afternoon. "First in class, and now out here."

"Sorry, it's just...really peaceful out here," Tsuna said abstractedly, looking across the sports field from his spot on the bleachers. "Do you have any cigarettes?"

"No, I'm all out. I had my last one earlier." Tsuna nodded as Gokudera sat next to him, the only two left. "Yamamoto said he had to go to class, in case you're wondering. He never came back."

"I figured as much. Either that or he went to go sleep in his room. What time is it?"

"About eight-thirty," Gokudera guessed, not looking at a watch.

"Damn, I slept a long time," Tsuna laughed, wide-awake now. "I'll never get to sleep now." The two sat in understanding silence for a long time, watching lights go off in the building as classrooms were closed and students went to sleep early. "Hope Dad's not looking for me."

Gokudera cleared his throat, turning to face Tsuna. "I...I heard what you said earlier. About going to School M." Tsuna nodded, staring off into space. "I hope you wouldn't ever actually consider it. It's like hell over there."

Tsuna looked back at him in puzzlement. "You've been over there?" Gokudera replied that he'd heard things about it. "Well, how bad could it be over there? This place isn't much better, is it?"

"That's just it," Gokudera began. "This place _is _better. Not only in education, but everything. From what you eat to where you sit to how much homework you get every night. It's so ridiculous over there, it's hard to take seriously. But it is serious, and not very many students pass."

"My dad tells me this district has the worst education in the country. I'm not surprised, but doesn't it have any other records? Maybe something good?"

"I heard it has a record for being the most violent and having the least amount of gang control for the past fifty years," said an unfamiliar girl's voice. The two turned in surrpise to see Kyoko Sasagawa standing by the bleacher steps, bundled up against the cold night air, a frown on her pretty face. "But that's not a good record at all."

"Wh-what are you doing out here?" Tsuna asked, turning away. But before the girl could answer, her words stung Tsuna's heart. Maybe this gang violence he and his friends were getting involved in was hurting more than just them. Maybe their entire school's reputation. That wasn't fair for Kyoko; was that what she was trying to say when she told him that?

"I was looking for you two," she replied, tucking her chin into her scarf as the wind blew. "I've been worried about you. So has Haru," she added, looking at Gokudera. "Ever since your fight, I've been keeping a close eye on you. You don't seem well."

Tsuna blushed. _Kyoko's been...worried about...me?_ "I-I'm fine. Just a little sleepy." He jumped in surprise when the girl took a seat beside him. "Kyoko?"

"I saw you come out of Dr. Shamal's office with bandages. You even had a head injury that could've put you in a coma." Her voice was rising with everything she said, her concern more than apparent. "You should be more careful, or you could die!" Tsuna was forced to look at the girl, her eyes watering. He felt something in him hurt. Why was she so worried about him, and why did he feel like he was hurting her with everything he did?

"This isn't any of your business," Gokudera said as gently as he could. "What we do outside of school shouldn't be your concern."

"But it is!" she cried, startling the boys into silence. "F...forgive me." Kyoko stood and ran back down the stairs, towards the school.

"Wait!" Tsuna called, but she didn't. "Since when does she worry about me? Did Ryohei put her up to this?"

"She's probably seen his injuries. As far as she knows," Gokudera started, looking at Tsuna. "What happens to him is your fault."

"My fault..." Tsuna nodded, standing up. "You're right. Let's go back to school. If I see her...I'll apologize."

A/N: Kind of a short, boring chapter, but I'll have chapter 6 up in no time to make up for it.


	6. Another Force

Chapter Six : Another Force

Seconds turned to minutes as the clock on the wall gave the students five more minutes on their test. The students desks were situated far away from each other and none of the gangstas were anywhere near their friends. Xanxus paced through the rows of desks, never hesitating to snatch up a note being passed, crumpling it up and collecting many others before throwing them away, where they joined many other unread notes.

Ken's eyes shifted from his test to his teacher as he tried to descry the details Mukuro had mentioned the day before. _These teachers aren't supposed to be here_, he'd said. Ken just shook his head, unable to understand his leader no matter how simple his point may've been.

Chikusa watched the teacher from behind sunlit lenses. _The reason Ken doesn't understand...the reason textbooks were not assigned_. Those factors could be chances or coincidences, yet Mukuro made them into suspicions and inferences. Could he actually be right? Just who were these people?

"Time's up," Xanxus said boredly from his desk, not even looking at the clock. Chrome scribbled down her last answer before going up to the front to turn it in. She tried to look her teacher in the eye when she got there, but he was too tired and unfocused to notice her, staring instead at the surface of his desk. "Your homework is a report on everything from Chapter 15, due at the end of the week. Textbooks are in the back so I suggest you read them during class. You're dismissed."

His early dismissal meant nothing to the students though because the timely bell rang as soon as the first student stepped out. Chikusa and Ken caught up with Mukuro, but knew it wouldn't do any good to ask him to elaborate on what he'd said. They'd have to see for themselves over time, just as he had.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

While Tsuna had promised to apologize as soon as he saw her, Gokudera noticed that the boy was purposefully avoiding Kyoko. He was probably having a hard time getting over what she'd said, but it wouldn't help him if he kept dodging to the side every time the girl so much as came around the corner towards him.

"Maybe we should go outside," Gokudera offered, watching his friend stare at Kyoko from across the cafeteria, preparing for her next move. "...Really."

"Yeah, yeah," Tsuna said, dragging himself away from the table in the direction Kyoko wasn't. The two started to leave, but Yamamoto went the other way.

"Sorry, you guys," he said with a sincerely apologetic smile. "I promised to meet with some of my other friends. I guess I'll catch you later?" As the boy headed away from them, Gokudera's jaw dropped and his cigarette, thankfully unlit, fell to the floor. Tsuna just watched him walk away, puzzled.

Outside, the sky was sunny as usual, no one remembering the last time it rained. Gokudera and Tsuna walked briskly through circles of lingering people, hands in their pockets and heads low as they talked to each other. "See?! That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Gokudera hissed quietly, not bothering to look where he was going. "That guy is going to get so caught up with those 'other friends' that he's going to fall out of our gang and go all jock on us!"

"I told you that you worry too much," Tsuna reminded him, lighting a cigarette though he seldom smoked. "Let Yamamoto do what he has to. He'll come back to us when he knows he should and, really. If anyone's going to betray us, it isn't him. I trust him."

"B-but Hibari, and-"

"Fuck Hibari." Tsuna glared at his friend, though he was smiling. "All the hall monitor is to me is another fighter for us. You should really start to be a little more optimistic. Yamamoto's not going anywhere."

"We'll see," Gokudera admitted with a sigh. They reached the bleachers, stopping before they went up. The taller boy took one look at the cigarette between Tsuna's fingers and shrugged. "Why now?" he asked, his brow furrowed in hypocritical concern.

Tsuna shrugged back. "Stress," was all he said before going up the steps, his friend following obediently.

"Over what?" The clouds in the sky created dusky, grim shadows that sauntered stealthily across the football field. "You didn't smoke any before the fight, and I know you were stressed out then." Tsuna, obviously not wanting to talk about it, remained silent. "Is there something going on?"

"Nothing is going on, Gokudera," Tsuna promised, "Because that was a stress I needed, and this is a stress I hate." Grinding the cigarette out, he flicked it away, along with the topic of conversation. As soon as a certain look surfaced in the younger boy's eyes, Gokudera knew it was about Kyoko.

So they sat for about fifteen minutes, one worrying about someone else while the other worried about the first, never getting anything accomplished with their silence. Gokudera wanted to say _Just apologize to her_ but his lips remained closed as he lied on his back in the bleachers, hands behind his head and eyes staring intently at the sky and undersides of large, gray clouds.

When the bell rang, Tsuna felt his last chance to go apologize to Kyoko slip away as she headed to class, no doubt still wondering and worrying if Tsuna was fighting someone else or seriously injured. He sighed, blowing his unruly bangs forward and then back, pondering the reason Kyoko cared about him when he'd been so concerned hoping she knew his name.

Maybe he should forget about it. Maybe he should close his eyes, lean back, and catch up on all that sleep he'd been missing. But his eyes closed for a second before he remembered why he'd been missing sleep at all.

Because of that nightmare. Wherever it was, he didn't want to go back. He might run into it again and then his stress would start all over, one big cycle even though the fight was over. And where's the sense in that...? "Why am I still bothered by nightmares about that incident?" he asked Gokudera, assuming he was still awake.

The other boy rolled over to see Tsuna, looking at the solemn intensity etched on his face. His glance turned again to the open, azure sky as Tsuna looked lower at the bleachers' floor. "It's because you know we haven't gotten our revenge yet." Tsuna did not react.

Footsteps broke the silence and the two boys looked over to see two girls coming up the steps. The first was a girl with short, dark hair tied back in a ponytail, but behind her was none other than Kyoko. Tsuna and Gokudera looked at each other, wondering if they were skipping class.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Kyoko said, a smile on her pretty face. Something in Tsuna's intuition told him this wasn't the right time to apologize, but he assumed it was just his flight response again.

"Kyoko," he began. The girl just tilted her head and him and smiled happily.

"What is it, Tsuna?" she asked sweetly, and Tsuna realized his intuition hadn't been wrong. It appeared she'd forgotten all about what they'd discussed, and to apologize now would probably just confuse her or make her upset.

"You aren't skipping class, are you?" he asked instead, hoping to lighten the atmosphere instead of bring it down.

The girl laughed, shaking her head. "My brother wrote me a pass to help him with his boxing, since he's the captain and all, and then he told me to come up here and get some fresh air." Turning, she added, "Haru has a study hall class right now, so she came with me. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all," Gokudera said, thinking Tsuna might honestly say he did mind and hurt their feelings. Thankfully, the girls already knew that these two were notorious for skipping class, and although they would have an opportunity to tell on them, the boys trusted them not to. "So _that's _where Ryohei was..."

Kyoko, having heard Gokudera, nodded. "Yes. He takes sports very seriously," she explained, making Gokudera flinch. "He plans to be a professional when he grows up," she added, smiling this time up at the sky.

_If he lives to grow up_, Gokudera thought to himself, knowing better than to say it out loud. Kyoko had probably thought the same thing several times.

"You don't mind if we spend the rest of class out here with you, do you?" Haru's voice was kind enough, but Gokudera saw a certain degree of malevolence in them. She was probably closest to Kyoko and was maybe angry at Tsuna for making her cry and putting her brother in danger.

Still, Tsuna remained oblivious to this and said he didn't mind at all.

v v v v v v v v v v

The final class of the day was dismissed. As Yamamoto left the room, Hibari grabbed him by the arm. "Would you go on a walk with me?" he asked quietly, though startling many students with his kind side; that is, until he added, "There's something I think I should tell you. And I have a few questions myself."

Yamamoto nodded without arguing and let himself be dragged off by the hall monitor.

Outside, many students were leaving campus for the afternoon and spending a little time outside. People seemed to want to come near Yamamoto to talk to him, but stopped short at the sight of Hibari and turned around. There seemed to be a clearing of students in the path of the hall monitor as they walked away from the school building.

"So, what did you need to ask?" Hibari was startled by Yamamoto's focus, considering he'd assumed it would've been a while before the guy actually got to the point. But Yamamoto was suddenly all business as soon as they were outside of the crowds of people.

"It's about that fight." Yamamoto considered the irony, since Gokudera had been wondering what Hibari's opinion on the fight was. It appeared Gokudera had suspected Hibari would have more to say than just the fact that he swore revenge on Mukuro. "Why did Mukuro have a gun with him?"

Yamamoto shook his head. How the hell was he supposed to know? "It's true that that's against the rules. I, of course, didn't know he owned one until that fight. But it looks like he just used it to escape, so I wouldn't worry about him actually shooting any of us."

Yamamoto's optimism and light-heartedness got on Hibari's nerves as the conversation went on. "What do you mean? He shot at that teacher, didn't he? I saw him."

"Maybe he fired a blank," Yamamoto offered with a shrug. "I just know he had no intention of breaking the rules and using it against us in a fight. The fact that he brought it out in front of the police is proof of that." Hibari just stared at him. "He knew it was all over once they showed up, so if he'd kept it hidden when we were surrounded, it would mean that he intended to use it next time and keep it a secret."

Hibari nodded, his hair blowing gently in the wind. Even if Yamamoto was light-hearted, he had good deductive reasoning. "Does that make sense?" Hibari nodded again, thinking of his next question. But what Yamamoto said had answered a lot of them, and the others would be useless to ask. "Then I have a question for you."

"What is it," Hibari said, hoping he'd be able to answer it.

"How did the teachers know where to go when the fight started? And why did they show up, too, instead of just sending the police?"

Hibari just laughed. "What makes you think I can answer that?" he asked, looking at Yamamoto from the corner of his eye.

"I know you're close to Mr. Cavallone because you work under him sometimes," Yamamoto started, facing Hibari fully. "I thought he might've told you something, maybe pertaining to the reason he was there that night, under such dangerous circumstances. The only reason I can think of it because we're his students, but-"

"Maybe," Hibari interrupted, unable to hide the dangerous smile forming on his lips. "He thought he could stop that fight with his own gun."

Yamamoto stopped walking, and Hibari did, too, keeping his head low. Park light's started to flicker on as the sun began it's early descent, the breeze stirring up fallen leaves. "Dino...has a gun...?" Yamamoto didn't know why he was so shocked.

"That's correct. He had it with him that night, and I'm sure he wasn't the only one. That's actually what I took you out here to tell you." After a short pause, he went on, "Why so surprised? Many adults are licensed to bear arms." Hibari watched as Yamamoto regained his composure, staring out across the town's landscape.

"It's just hard for me to imagine Dino firing a gun. I only know him as our kind of air-headed history teacher." He looked to Hibari for sympathy, but the boy only stared back at him coldly.

"Principal Reborn was the one who taught him how to shoot it, many years ago. That's all I'm allowed to tell you." He began walking back the other way, towards the school, leaving Yamamoto in more confused shock. "As for the reason they showed up at the right place so soon," he said, stopping and turning around halfway. "You should know the answer to that better than I."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School M** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Viridian tile hallways appeared bittersweet orange as the setting sun poured in through wall-length windows. Chrome's high-heeled boots clicked hurriedly and unsteadily as she walked the long path to her teacher's classroom, clutching a set of ten papers in her arms. She turned the corner to the next long hallway, empty except for two adults coming her way.

"I told you, I did that for the sake of School M's name. They were humiliating us with that type of behavior." Chrome recognized the two as Principal Marmon and Vice Principal Lal Mirch, and they appeared to be talking about something in depth, Marmon's voice echoing through the hall. "That type of street fighting is unreasonable, and I sure as hell won't allow it. A little trick should teach them a lesson."

Chrome finally passed them, bowing her head low in respect. When they were behind her, they were silent, their conversation obviously over. It wasn't until they were far around the corner she'd come from before she realized what they had said.

The girl finally slowed down her steps when she saw the classroom door. She could hear quiet voices inside and when she arrived in front of the door, she looked down at her report. She hoped it would be acceptable as she grabbed the doorknob and stepped inside.

"I know it's late, but- oh!" She took a step back and stared at her teacher, hoping her single eye was deceiving her.

Xanxus was leaning on his desk, his shirt a crumpled white mass on the floor beside him. Squalo was standing before him, though now he was glaring angrily at the student, his own shirt undone. The sunlight from the back wall burned the image into Chrome's mind, telling her it was real.

Xanxus's body was covered with deep scars, some a foot long and running across others, creating Xs before fading off to the side. Chrome recognized these as marks from blades and knives, her own body marred with a few. Bullet marks and dark, discreet burns were less familiar to her but had destroyed her teacher's frame nonetheless. Even Squalo had white streaks across his frontside where a blade had once torn away his flesh.

Squalo's hand was still resting on the other's chest, and he made no move to chase the girl away. Xanxus's scarlet eyes were filled with pain and anguish when he looked at Chrome, and she knew she'd seen something she shouldn't have, yet would never forget. "I'm...sorry. I'm sorry!" She dropped her papers to the floor and ran out of the room, covering her face with her hands and trying to get as far away from the people and images she'd just seen.


	7. Making Amends, Planning Ahead

A/N: Last filler chapter. Also the shortest. But chapters 8-end are really intense and good.

Chapter Seven : Making Amends/Planning Ahead

Chrome ran faster than she ever had before, her vision blinded by her tears. She kept her head low, running until she couldn't feel her legs anymore. The halls were empty, but she sought shelter in one of the stairwells at the ends of the hallways.

Her delicate hand lifted to her cheek, feeling the wetness there as she sank to the floor. _Why am I crying?_ she wondered, and she honestly did not know. If Mukuro had seen something like that, he might've started laughing. That harrowing, disturbing laugh that seemed to go on forever. So why was she so sad?

She closed her eyes and saw the scars on the bodies of her teachers. In her mind, she knew those weren't from accidents, and she knew they weren't recent. They came from a violent, difficult past and she knew the cause was something horrible to have done that much damage. And yet here they were, teaching students and never letting any of their weakness show.

"Chrome." The girl lifted her head. Hearing Mukuro's voice made her think she was going to be scolded for being so soft all the time. She looked around, then realized with relief that he was communicating with her mentally. "What's wrong?"

The girl pondered whether or not to tell Mukuro what she'd seen. She feared his reaction, but also feared keeping information from him. The least she could do was tell him about what the principals had been talking about. "Mukuro," she began, closing her eyes. It was hard to focus with her emotions like this. "I can't tell you right now."

Mukuro's mental presence vanished and the girl wobbled to her feet. The lights went out in the building. "Mr. Xanxus," Chrome said weakly, heading for the door. She thought about what he must've gone through. And she wondered why she didn't notice. That he was just like Mukuro and the others. That he was just like her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Darkness finally settled over the school, Hibari reprimanding students who didn't turn their lights out soon enough. Tsuna lied awake in his bed, staring emptily at the ceiling. He could hear the hall monitor going downstairs, finished with his lights-out duty. Sighing sadly, Tsuna lifted his hand in front of him and stared at it.

The tears in his skin hadn't healed yet, still hiding pitifully behind weak bandages. He put the hand against his head, feeling the heat of his tense mind. Since this was the first time a fight had ended without actually ending anything, Tsuna felt the heavy weight of something left unfinished in his chest. His eyes refused to close although his body was pleading for rest. He felt that dream waiting for him in the first stages of slumber.

Outside, around the corner of one of the hallways, Yamamoto waited until Hibari vanished down the stairs. "He's gone," he said as Gokudera stepped closer.

"Why didn't he check over here?" the other asked, looking out into the hallway.

"Because I told him I'd be over here," Yamamoto said with a small smile, "And I told him not to check where I was." Gokudera just frowned, wondering if Yamamoto was the only one who could influence the hall monitor so easily. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

Gokudera had a few things he'd like to have said to Yamamoto then, but Tsuna said he worried too much, and it might've been time to let some of his past suspicions die. "It's about Tsuna. You know he hasn't been sleeping lately, right?"

"Yeah. He's probably just stressed out if that's what you mean," Yamamoto replied, already trying to avoid an unnecessary conversation.

"Stressed out, sure." Gokudera leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and frowning angrily at Yamamoto's simple-mindedness. "But what about? It's our job as his friends to take that stress away! To take some of it on ourselves and stop being so useless! Yamamoto..." _All you've been doing is running away from us_, hung at the edge of his lips, but he said he'd stop worrying about Yamamoto's other friends. "Tsuna needs us."

"What do you think we should do?" Yamamoto asked, starting to accept Gokudera's proposal. "He won't open up to _me _about anything."

"He won't tell me a thing either." Gokudera let out a sigh, letting his head fall back against the wall. "But if we keep watching him, maybe we can find out a way to help."

The two started walking down the hall, passing Tsuna's room. "I wonder if he's asleep right now," Gokudera said quietly, placing his hand against the door. He pulled back reflexively when he heard someone inside cry out in what seemed to be fear, and he looked at Yamamoto.

"Tsuna, are you alright?!" Gokudera shouted as quietly as he could, flinging the door open and stepping inside, Yamamoto right behind him. Tsuna was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with wide-eyes and breathing heavily. He glanced at his two friends before covering his face with his hands.

"I had that dream again," he moaned, trying to regulate his breathing. His friends came closer, but Tsuna stopped them. "I'm alright, though. You two are still awake?" They nodded shortly, Tsuna barely making it out in the dark room. "Go get some sleep. I'll be fine."

Before Gokudera could say anything, Tsuna had rolled over and faced away from them. He let out a sigh and followed Yamamoto back out, casting a protective look over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.

"His nightmare," Yamamoto said, looking down the hall yet focusing on nothing. "That's it. We just need to get rid of that nightmare and he can go back to sleep."

Gokudera rolled his eyes. "And just how do we get rid of nightmares?" Yamamoto shrugged, and Gokudera ran a hand through his bangs. "I just know he thinks about that fight a lot." When the other looked at him with question, he clarified, "The first one. He told me he has nightmares about it even to this day Do you think...?"

"I couldn't tell you. But how's this sound?" Yamamoto crossed his arms and faced Gokudera, smiling confidently. "Let's fight with Tsuna and get our revenge on those Kokuyo bastards. Then maybe Tsuna won't worry so much."

Gokudera grinned with equal determination; a simple idea like that was pure genius when coming from Yamamoto. "Sounds good. But promise you won't back out!"

"I won't! And you'd better not either." The two shook hands on it before heading back to their rooms, leaving the hallways silent for the first time that night. Tsuna, however, stayed facing the wall, feeling tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

_Gokudera ... Yamamoto ..._ As he closed his eyes, he pushed his tears away and promised to thank his friends in the morning.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School M **- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mukuro wandered the hallways of his school in between classes, walking across tiles tainted with murky orange sunlight due to the pollution surrounded the campus. He passed by ceiling to floor windows that ran the length of the entire hall, providing as much light as possible so the school could save money on electricity. The principal had so many money-saving rules and regulations around School M that the place ended up looking like no other school, inside and out.

The bell rang, but Mukuro wasn't late unless he actually planned on going to class, which he didn't. Instead he hummed with carefree patience up the stairs that led to the roof. The stairsteps eventually turned from plastic-covered rock to wrought iron as he ascended, eventually reaching the emergency exit who's alarm had already been unlocked and who's door was opened with a loud creak.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long," he said to two figures hiding in the shadow. One of them laughed cordially, not offering Mukuro a look at his face as he stayed in the darkness.

"We would've been here regardless," he said, a pleasant chime in his voice. "But thank you for coming anyway." The bigger of the two said nothing and continued staring across the dirty landscape of the town.

"My name is Mukuro. You may or may not have heard about me already from your teacher, Xanxus," Mukuro began, walking idly over to the rail that protected students from falling off the tall building. "All goods things, I'm sure."

"Absolutely," the first said, laughing again. "My name is Lussuria, and this is Levi. How may we be of help to you?"

Mukuro shifted an eye to the shadowed figures, smiling slyly. "No need to get down to business so soon. Why don't we have a little chat?" Lussuria grudgingly felt the intimidation Mukuro was directing at them, and he shifted uncomfortably. He rarely met people who were scarier or stranger than himself. "Are you two seniors?"

"That's right," Lussuria replied, feeling relieved from Mukuro's intent grasp already. "About five years now, actually." Levi nodded discreetly, but the statement had Mukuro shocked to silence. "Hm?"

"So, you've failed five years in a row?" They said nothing, but Mukuro could tell Lussuria was smiling. "Interesting. Are you just stupid or do you do it on purpose?"

"So that's the story you want, huh?" Lussuria leaned back against the concrete wall, taking in a deep breath and sighing loudly. "Levi and I are competent enough to pass, but no one would ever hire us. So we work for the school; for our principal, Marmon. Xanxus fails us every year, so we take on jobs like what you're about to give us and make money that we give to Marmon. In the end, we are provided with everything we need," he stopped, clapping his gloved hands together with a smile. "And everybody wins!"

"Sounds interesting," Mukuro replied with a nod. "I hope the money I give you is enough to satisfy our principal. It's nice to know it's going to _such _a good cause." Lussuria's face remained the same as he extended his hand. "The opportunity will be here soon. I'll keep you posted." He slipped a stack of bills from his coat and put it in Lussuria's expectant hand.

"I don't like to be fooled," Lussuria remarked pointedly, looking at the money closely to make sure it wasn't an illusion. "Good, it's real."

Mukuro shifted his weight, eyeing the man curiously. "You checked to see if the money was real? Where'd you learn a trick like that?"

"None other than the Principal himself taught me to keep an eye out for illusionary, counterfeit money." Lussuria turned the corner of the concrete block, heading down a different set of stairs. "I suppose we'll be seeing you soon!"

"Yes, thank you." Once he heard the door close, he narrowed his eyes. "The Principal, huh?"

The sound of footsteps rushing up Mukuro's staircase broke his concentration, and he looked over to see Ken bursting through the door. "Mukuro, I heard something from Chikusa. He told me to tell you," the boy said, out of breath from running to find his friend.

"What is it already?" Mukuro snapped impatiently, hoping it wasn't bad news.

"It's the Vongola." Ken's face went from tired to pleased in a second. "It seems that they're going to the movies tonight. Chikusa overheard Gokudera reasoning with Sawada." The blonde watched carefully as Mukuro smiled dangerously.

"That's perfect."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tsuna asked, looking at Gokudera in thought. "I mean, Kyoko and Haru don't know us that well. If we take them, I don't want them to feel-"

"Everything will be fine, Tsuna!" Gokudera reassured him. "Lambo and I have already asked everyone else, though it sounds like Ryohei has a boxing match tonight. But anyway, this could be your chance to get closer with Kyoko, right?"

Tsuna thought about this, too. "I guess so."

"Great! I figured you needed some time to relax, so going out seemed like a good idea. You know, just like we used to!" Gokudera's enthusiam was infectious and Tsuna smiled warmly, thankful that one of his friends was trying to cheer him up. This got him thinking about the night before.

"Um, Gokudera, I heard what you were talking about last night," Tsuna began, catching the other's attention immediately. "And...I just want to say thanks. I really appreciate what you and Yamamoto are doing for me."

Gokudera just grinned, looking at Tsuna out of the corner of his eye as he turned around. "So, you can say something like 'thanks' to me, but you don't have the courage to apologize to a girl?"

Tsuna's face flushed and he looked at the carpet. "Th-that's different!" The boy sat down on his bed, closing his eyes in frustration at himself. "Apologizing is on a whole different level than saying thank you."

The silver-haired one looked at him for a while before laughing shortly and heading for the door. "Well, like I said, tonight's your opportunity. Just remember what you're apologizing for and nothing can go wrong!"

Tsuna nodded as Gokudera left the room. Lying back down on his bed, he sighed. "What I'm apologizing for..." He closed his eyes again. "Isn't something I'm sorry for." In his heart, he knew he wouldn't give up the fight for his revenge. Not for a girl, not for his life. He needed to show them that they weren't better than him. He needed to let them know they weren't in charge. And fighting was the only way to do it.

There was a knock on the door, making Tsuna sit up. "Come in," he said, and Yamamoto looked cautiously into the room.

"Where's Gokudera?" he asked, almost fearfully.

"He just left. What's up?"

"I just need to tell him some bad news. I know he'll freak out when he hears it." Yamamoto laughed nervously, backing out of the room. "Sorry."

"Wait, Yamamoto!" The taller boy looked at Tsuna, making no move to enter the room, since he had to go find Gokudera. "I just...I wanted to thank you for what you said last night. You and Gokudera and my best friends, and I appreciate everything you do for me."

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, but smiled nonetheless. "That's a little corny, but thanks anyway! I appreciate you, too, Tsuna." And with that, the door closed.

Tsuna rolled his eyes. That was corny, and Yamamoto was really abrupt about it. _I wonder if he even took me seriously_, was Tsuna's last thought before he started getting ready to go out for the night, five hours in advance.


	8. Setback

Chapter Eight : Setback

After getting a ride from a friend of Lambo's, Tsuna and his friends arrived at the drive-in movie. Once they were admitted, they found a place by the rail to enjoy the movie without sitting in the truck, letting their driver go back home. They were lucky the guard wasn't paying attention that night.

Tsuna took a deep breath of the night's cool air in, looking up at the dark sky where more dark clouds were beginning to gather. They was a surprisingly small amount of them at the movies that evening because of some difficulties that Gokudera was still fuming about.

Earlier

_"I hope you weren't waiting long!" Kyoko chimed, waving at Tsuna as she approached him, Haru right behind her. Tsuna smiled when he saw her, surprised to see her wearing something less conservative than she did at school. _

_"Where's Gokudera?" Haru asked, looking around._

_Lambo shook his head, leaning against the truck. "Trying to recruit the rest of our group. We already know Ryohei's got a match tonight," he replied, closing his eyes with a smile. Not far off, Gokudera was angrily talking to someone on his cell phone. When he came near the group again, he hung up and cursed loudly. "So?"_

_"Yamamoto's not coming. He's hanging out with his other friends, again. I guess it's just the six of us," he said bitterly, probably analyzing Yamamoto's excuse in his mind. "Man, what a-"_

_"Sounds like fun! Let's go already!" I-pin jumped into the back of the truck and everyone else loaded up. Tsuna could sense Gokudera's worry again, and his concern for keeping Yamamoto in their group, but he knew better than to try to comfort him at this point._

Present

For the duration of the movie, Tsuna turned to look at Kyoko, seeing if she was having a good time. Sitting on the cement of the parking lot leaning against a wooden fence was probably not her idea of fun, but she was watching the screen with a smile on her face.

He closed his eyes, listening to Gokudera tell him to apologize in his mind. But as he thought about it more and more, he eventually ended up forgetting about it, holding to the thought so tightly, it slipped away from him.

"Tsuna." The boy jumped at the sound of his name, despite the gentle tone of Kyoko's soft voice. He looked over at her this time to see her looking back at him.

"Wh-what?" he asked, feeling his face heat up. _She probably saw me staring at her. _Lost in thought, he didn't notice the girl move closer to him, inching nearer as gracefully as she could while sitting on the concrete. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just a little cold out," she said, leaning against Tsuna for warmth and support. His heart sped up and he tried to concentrate on the movie without disturbing Kyoko by moving around too much.

Lambo and I-pin were talking quietly throughout the movie, joking around like the childhood friends they were. Haru kept throwing suspicious glances at Gokudera, who was still sulking and ignoring the girl completely. Something about it wasn't the same without Ryohei, and especially without Yamamoto. However, none of them were paying attention to Tsuna and Kyoko.

"Kyoko," Tsuna said before wondering why he did and cursing himself mentally. She looked up at him, and he had no choice but to look back at her. The heat in her brown eyes melted Tsuna's inhibitions and he moved his face closer to hers, closing his eyes. He no longer wondered what he was doing.

"Yes?" she asked, her own face turning red as her eyes closed slightly, her body shivering in anticipation.

Tsuna could tell the movie was starting to end by the music. "Are you still cold?" he asked, putting his hand over hers. He could feel her hot breath against his neck as she tilted her head. He closed his eyes, no longer able to see her and using his other senses to guide him.

"A little," she breathed in reply, and Tsuna could feel her lips against his. He closed the remaining gap and squeezed her hand. Their kiss led to another and another and whether they were even in love with each other didn't matter at that moment.

By the time the credits were rolling, Tsuna was kneeling over Kyoko, kissing her more fiercely that he thought she could handle. Kyoko had her arms wrapped around Tsuna's neck, pulling him closer. His right hand was stroking her exposed thigh, slipping up under her short skirt, his left hand on her shoulder where the material of her sleeve was sliding off.

Lambo and I-pin were leaning against each other, smiling and admiring what few stars in the sky they could see. Gokudera and Haru were in a situation similar to Tsuna's and Kyoko's. The screen credits were soon replaced by ads and other things shown between films. Their ride would be back to pick them up once Lambo called.

"Tsuna," Kyoko whispered, opening her eyes to see the parking lot over Tsuna's shoulder as his mouth trailed down her neck and chest. The lights that had turned back on blinded her temporarily, but she thought she saw people coming closer to them. The guards would probably tell them to leave now. But as she stared at them, she saw that they were not adults in uniform, and they were smiling fiendishly. "Ts-Tsuna. Tsuna!"

The girl started breathing jaggedly when she realized her worst fear was heading straight for Tsuna. He didn't even need to ask what was wrong as he looked over his shoulder at the approaching figures. "How did they...?!"

"Tsuna!" Gokudera was on his feet, not taking his eyes off the intruders.

"I see them!" The boy clenched his fists, ready to fight. But Gokudera was looking at him with a different expression. Haru was sitting behind him, a hand covering her mouth and fear gathering behind her eyes. Gokudera thought the situation through differently than Tsuna did. "Dammit, they followed us," Tsuna went on.

"We'll have our backs against the wall if we have to protect the girls while fighting," Gokudera warned him. "We've got to get out of here before they come any closer, and we can lose them." Despite the logic in Gokudera's words, Tsuna had a vengeful smile on his face. "Tsuna?!"

"No police officers or teachers for miles means no interruptions. What better opportunity to kick their asses?" He looked at Gokudera, who was shaking his head. "We can take them. I'm not running away from this chance."

By now, Mukuro and his friends were standing in the radiant white light of the overhead lamp. Tsuna stood his ground, and Gokudera stayed in front of Haru. Lambo and I-pin made no move to fight. "You made a fatal mistake coming here, Mukuro," Tsuna said confidently, laughing. "We're gonna get you good this time."

Mukuro's smile didn't budge though, his eyes shadowed beneath his bangs. "That's where you're wrong, Sawada." The Vongola gang watched in horror as four more figures stepped under the light, making their numbers eight to Tsuna's four. "I brought a little extra something to hasten your demise."

Lussuria clucked his tongue and shook his head at the spectacle. "My, my. I expected several more people than this."

"It's okay. Your job will be easy tonight," Mukuro promised. He took on step forward, forcing Tsuna back one. "Come and get it if you're so confident."

"Kyoko, Haru," Tsuna began, his eyes flashing with anger already. "We'll protect you. This will be over soon." His words were weak and he said them half-heartedly, hoping Kyoko couldn't detect his fear. "Let's go!"

Kyoko and Haru moved back as Gokudera ran to Tsuna's side, Lambo and I-pin branching out to take on the other group. Mukuro, Ken, Lancia and the man with the sunglasses stood before the first two, not holding any weapons except the chain.

"Just the two of you?" Mukuro asked, looking over at I-pin and Lambo before directing his attention back to Tsuna and Gokudera. "I hope you've considered how handicapped you are with those girls to protect."

"Shut up and fucking fight me!" Tsuna commanded, bringing his fist forward towards Mukuro's face. However, he didn't move and Tsuna's offending arm was caught by Lancia, who twisted it, snapping bones like twigs.

He cried out in pain, remembering what a hard time Hibari had with this man. While he recoiled from the pain in his arm, Mukuro brought his leg and back and kicked Tsuna in the side, stunning him. He felt an impact there again and heard his ribs break, knowing Mukuro was getting him back in full.

Tsuna could hear Kyoko screaming for them to stop and he thought he heard Haru crying. He looked over to see Gokudera getting equally damaged by the strange man in black, Ken holding him in place.

Lancia moved to Tsuna's other side, dodging the punch he threw with his good arm. The agile man jumped over Tsuna's low kick before whipping the chain across his face, drawing blood instantly. Tsuna was dazed until he saw Mukuro, who slugged the other side of Tsuna's face, knocking him the other way and straining muscles in his neck. Mukuro laughed lowly as Tsuna fell to the pavement, clouds churning overhead and the wind picking up. Tsuna's mind flashed back.

_I looked up at the swirling mass of black clouds, praying for a storm. My head felt heavy and the cold glove of my enemy's hand was tight around my throat._

"Dammit!" Gokudera fell to the ground and rolled out of the way of Ken's punch, the cement shattering. "That strength can't be human," he said under his breath, stumbling to his feet in time to block a kick aimed for his abdomen. He glanced over for a moment to look at Tsuna, but when he tried to see just how badly he was injured, he left himself open and Lussuria kicked him in the chest, knocking him down again.

"Weak, too," Lussuria groused, stepping on Gokudera's hand and grinding it against the concrete. "I wonder if Levi's having this much luck."

"Mukuro said now would be a good time," Ken told Lussuria, and the man leapt out of Gokudera's sight. The blonde came nearer to Gokudera, stepping on his already bruised chest. He grinned widely, Gokudera barely able to make out the, "I'll take care of you."

Lancia wrapped the chain around Tsuna's arm as he threw another punch, tangling it around before it rendered him immobile. Mukuro walked towards him menacingly, grinning widely. "I'll beat you up so badly, you'll never dare challenge us again. Time for payback."

"That's...my line," Tsuna panted, feeling his own blood drip off his lips and tasting its saltiness. "You...bastard-!" Mukuro's hard fist collided with Tsuna's jaw, knocking his tooth out.

_He tried to move his arms, but he was too weak. A streak of lighting showed the next punch, coming straight for him_.

Mukuro hit him again, knocking him into the past with every strike. "K-Kyoko," he said, looking in her direction. He saw her watching him, tears streaming down her face as she prayed for them to stop. Another hit.

_His body longed to fall to the ground, but his opponent held him up by his shirt collar. He felt weak, he wanted to fall, like the rain..._

Gokudera wrestled Ken to the ground, trying to push Ken's arm down as the knife came closer to his throat. He looked over his shoulder and saw Haru, her eyes watching him with something he'd never seen before. She wanted to help him. She was waiting for him to tell her what she had to do.

But he couldn't let her help him. This was his fight, and he had to protect her. "Haru, take Kyoko and run!" he ordered, rolling to the side and letting Ken go. "Get the hell out of here! Both of you!"

Ken finally succeeded, cutting a deep slash across Gokudera's collarbone and making him shout in pain. Haru grabbed Kyoko's hand and started running. But Kyoko's legs wouldn't cooperate and Haru had to nearly drag her with her, slowing them down considerably. "Come on!" Two figures appeared in their path.

"Dammit," Gokudera cursed again. Ken punched him to the ground and jumped on him to keep him down. He fought to get Ken off him, knocking the knife from his hand. His vision swerved, and he knew he was losing too much blood. "You-!"

Ken's bloody hands wrapped around Gokudera's neck in an attempt to strangle him. His own face was hardly injured at all, and Gokudera felt he hadn't been a help at all. The silver-haired boy grabbed Ken's wrists, trying to pry him off to no avail. "Say good-bye, brat!" Ken hissed, and angry type of joy on his face.

His vision blackened for a second before coming back. He was staring up at a white light against a black sky, hurting his eyes. "Ya..." His voice would abandon him before he died, and his airway became tighter and tighter as he gave up. _Shit, why isn't he here?!_ He dug his fingernails into Ken's arms as hard as he could, closing his eyes tightly. _He should be here! _His breath was shallow, his hope dying._ He promised...he promised me we would fight together!_ Ken still pressed harder. _That bastard, where is he?!_

"Yamamoto..." Ken pressed even harder, frustrated with not being able to at least stop his voice. Streaming down to join the blood that dripped into his hair, tears flooded from Gokudera's closed eyes. "Yamamotooo!"

_A blade whistled in the wind and a body stepped back, blood pouring from his wound. The one who had been under attack, who had been saved, my friend, was lying on the cement not too far from me. He looked at me through matted, silver bangs, and his smile made me think everything was okay. We would win. "Tsuna...you're going to be alright. We're going to be alright. Keep fighting!"_

Tsuna's eyes opened as wide as they could, bruised and swollen. He looked over and saw Gokudera, trying to fight Ken off but looking at him with eyes so full of fear, he thought he might've been mistaken. "Tsuna, we have to run! We have to get out of here, or we'll die!"

_Gokudera's...crying..._ Tsuna thought. That part wasn't in his dream. It wasn't in his flashbacks. Gokudera never said "run"; he never said "we'll die"... This part didn't add up. Pain stung Tsuna's face, his eyes. His ribs, his abdomen, his broken arm. His head was throbbing and blood was everywhere he looked.

But his heart hurt more than anything. He'd been the fool who told Gokudera to fight. And now he was standing on the edge of his death. He scared Kyoko and put her in danger. He could've run, like Gokudera said, but he was overconfident, and he was paying the price. They all were.

Not far away, Kyoko and Haru were being held hostage by Lussuria and Levi. They couldn't escape. They were scared, crying, but thankfully unharmed.

Tsuna thought he was hit again, but he was so numb, he couldn't tell. Mukuro was still standing before him with bloody gloves, not hardly a scratch on him. Tsuna could almost feel his heart slow down. Everytime he looked at Lambo's and I-pin's motionless bodies, Kyoko's and Haru's terrified faces, Gokudera's pleading eyes, he could almost feel himself die. His eyes closed. _I'm sorry, everyone..._

"Stop!" An unfamiliar girl's voice. Tsuna fell to the ground as Lancia let go of him. He saw Mukuro's shadow raise a leg to stomp on Tsuna's back. "I said stop! That's enough!" Was it Haru? Tsuna knew it wasn't Kyoko.

Tsuna looked up to see Mukuro looking off to the side, at what appeared to be his own reflection. But it was a girl, with an eyepatch, her small frame covered with injuries. Tsuna didn't recognize her that well, or know what she was saying, or why she said it.

"Chrome, why?" Mukuro snarled bitterly, shaking in anger.

It almost looked like an illusion. A scene from a dream. This part also did not match up with Tsuna' flashbacks, though. He never remembered being saved.

The girl took a step closer, her short hair blowing the wind. She was facing Mukuro, as if from the other side of a mirror. Mukuro was glaring at her with confused rage and frustration. But this girl was not looking at Mukuro; this girl was looking at Tsuna, and she, too, was crying.


	9. Ashes to Ashes

Chapter Nine : Ashes to Ashes

Tsuna's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a white ceiling. He knew the fight must've ended and someone had transported him back. He tried to sit up, but his arm was bandaged and surged with pain when he used it for support. Pain in his ribs stopped him too, and when he tried to look around the room, he realized his neck muscles were strained and he could barely turn his head.

He leaned on his side a bit to see Gokudera lying not too far from him, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Goku...dera," came Tsuna's hoarse voice. The other boy turned to him, but his expression didn't change. He didn't say anything before he turned back to the ceiling. Tsuna knew his wrong decision would affect their relationship.

"Tsuna, Gokudera." They heard a familiar voice coming from the doorway, and Tsuna didn't need to move to know it was Yamamoto. "I'm glad you two are awake."

"Like hell you are!" Gokudera snapped back, immediately angry as soon as he saw Yamamoto. "I'll bet you wish we were dead, huh, you son of a bitch?! What they fuck did you have to go do that was so goddamn important?! Or more important than our lives, I should say, you motherfucker!"

"Gokudera," Yamamoto began, closing the door and moving closer to his bed. "There was no way I could've known that you were going to run into them that night. It's just a bit of bad luck."

"You call this a bit of bad luck?!" Gokudera was sitting up in his bed, bandages on every part of his body. "If you had just come with us, then we wouldn't look so bad! This is all your fault!" Tsuna could hear that he was crying again, most likely out of anger. "I can't believe you! You fucking _promised_ me we would fight together, for Tsuna's sake! You _promised_, you bastard!!"

Yamamoto's face had and the sole expression of guilty. Not knowing what else to say, he settled for, "I'm sorry. Both of you, I'm really sorry."

"Well _sorry_ isn't fucking good enough!" Gokudera's eyes were heated in fury, glaring at Yamamoto accusingly. "You broke your promise! You good-for-nothing _idiot_! Do us all a favor, Yamamoto, and go burn in _hell_!!"

Yamamoto looked to Tsuna for support, tears forming in his own eyes. Tsuna had never seen him cry either. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but his throat was too sore. He tried to say "it's okay", but when he couldn't form something to say, Yamamoto felt betrayed by both his friends and left the room, still careful not to slam the door. Tsuna heard Gokudera sigh angrily, but Tsuna felt like it was his turn to cry.

v v v v v v v v v v

Tsuna and Gokudera finally got the energy to leave what turned out to be Yamamoto's house. The boy's dad had told them they'd been treated at the hospital and then Yamamoto insisted on taking them to his house. Kyoko and Haru were apparently unharmed, and I-pin and Lambo had been in a similar situation to themselves.

Tsuna walked down the sidewalk towards the school. He could never look Kyoko in the eye again. She was already worried because he fought too much, and then she'd seen it with her own eyes. Tsuna's weakness, right in front of her. And she'd been put in danger as well, almost kidnapped had they been given the chance. Ryohei would probably never talk to Tsuna again for what he did to his sister.

Lambo and I-pin would probably isolate themselves, not wanting to talk about the incident or be reminded of it by looking at Tsuna. Gokudera's sister, Bianchi, would spread rumors such as Tsuna forcing her brother to get injured. And he already knew things would be rocky with his father.

The boy felt like Gokudera was the only one he had left. But when he looked at him, Gokudera was glaring at him the same way he had been glaring at Yamamoto.

They were outside the school now, the sky overcast and the wind blowing. "Gokudera..." Tsuna took a cautious step forward, already preparing for a similar treatment to what Yamamoto had experienced.

"I told you to run," Gokudera began, getting straight to the point. He kept his head low, looking away from Tsuna. "Why did you insist that we stay and fight when you could see we were outnumbered?" Tsuna opened his mouth to say something, but Gokudera wasn't finished. "And the girls were with us, no less. Do you value our lives at all?"

"I thought we could've gotten our revenge that night," Tsuna defended, crossing his arms. "The fact that they attacked us on our night out made me angry. Angry enough to fight them, and even if we weren't prepared, I wasn't about to run away!"

"So you'd choose revenge over life?" Gokudera assumed, putting a hand on his hip and tilting his head. "That isn't like you, Tsuna. We'll get them back one of these days, but putting those girls in danger when you _knew-_"

"If you disagree," Tsuna interrupted, starting towards the school and passing Gokudera. "If you think my reasons for revenge aren't justified, then that makes you a traitor, doesn't it?"

Gokudera took a step back, as if he'd been hit. "A traitor?"

"If you aren't going to fight with me when it comes down to it, you're just a quitter. I don't need someone like you."

Tsuna had stopped and turned around, facing Gokudera with an impassive look in his eyes. Gokudera blinked twice before smiling cynically and looking at the ground beneath them. "Yeah, well I don't need someone who thinks getting even is more important than staying alive."

The two had nothing more to say to each other and went their separate ways. The rage inside Tsuna began to burn even hotter with the thought of Mukuro's constant attacks against himself.

Inside the school, Basil was waiting by the door for Tsuna to come inside. "Oh! There you are, Tsuna. I've been looking for you," Basil bowed his head respectfully at the sight of his friend, but Tsuna remained quiet. "There's something I need to tell you..."

"What does he want?" Tsuna asked, putting a hand to his head and closing his eyes. He knew that if Basil had something to say to him, it had to do with his father. Basil paused for a moment, then nodded, knowing he couldn't fool Tsuna.

"He wants to talk to you tonight. He found out about your injuries, obviously, so he probably has a thing or two to say about what happened." Tsuna glared at the boy, who stepped back and bowed again in flustered shame. "I-I'm sorry! It's none of my business what you talk about with your father. Please excuse me."

Tsuna watched silently as Basil rushed away from him, fretting about what he was going to talk to Iemitsu about. Despite Tsuna's injuries and increasing hatred for his opponent, he planned to go to his father's office and discuss a few things that had been bothering him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School M** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mukuro set the empty glass on the table before running his gloved finger around the rim. His eyes shifted over to Chrome, who sat a few feet away in silence.

"Why did you do that?" he asked finally. Chrome flinched, wishing Ken or Chikusa were there with her. Her mouth opened, then closed again. Did she really have reason?

The glass shattered on the floor, having been swept off to rest with other broken shards. "Answer me," Mukuro demanded harshly.

"I wanted to protect you," Chrome blurted out, not knowing why she said that. She closed her eye as Mukuro tilted his head in confusion, as if he'd heard her wrong.

"You wanted to protect _them_, you mean." The girl shook her head vigorously, but Mukuro merely smiled in amusement. "I never thought I would get this angry at my little sister," he began, walking towards her. "But then again, I never thought you would do something so foolish."

He reached out to grab her hair, but she slapped his hand away, surprising him. "This violence," she said. "It's not what they deserve. You're the one being foolish!"

Mukuro saw something flash in the girl's single, violet eye. Something strong and full of determination and resolve. Something he'd never seen in his sister as long as they'd been alive. A smile formed on his lips again. That resolve was supposed to be shown for him, and yet her will was aimed towards his enemy.

"That violence is no different from the violence we grew up surrounded by." Mukuro's voice, low and cold, still did nothing to remove the look on Chrome's face. "Those people oppressed us, and I'm only getting back at those humans for what they did to us."

"We are humans, too," Chrome stated quietly, and Mukuro grimaced in anger. "What you are doing to them is not the same!"

"Then _we _are not the same, either!" Mukuro roared, turning away from Chrome. "I thought I knew you better than this."

Chrome's body shook; whether it was in fear or anger, she did not know. "You don't know me at all," she said darkly, but she caught herself.

Mukuro turned back in time to see her run to the door, stopping after she had opened it. "Though, I'm afraid I don't know myself either," was the last thing he heard before the girl vanished from sight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

That evening, Tsuna stepped inside the room that he'd passed several times in the hallway. His father's office was always locked, and now he stood within it.

The interior of Superintendent Iemitsu's office was dim and dry, a single lamp on the desk the only source of light. The blinds were closed on the window, but they couldn't hide the sound of rushing wind and pounding thunder. The occasional flicker of lightning flashed in around the blinds' edges, illuminating portraits of past school officials at an eerie angle.

Iemitsu was seated in a leather chair, not yet facing his son. "You wanted to see me?" Tsuna asked, looking around the room.

When the man turned around, his face held a grave, serious expression that Tsuna had seen only rarely. "Have a seat." His father's deep tone forced Tsuna into a chair, and he respectfully refrained from putting his feet on the desk.

"What was so important that you needed to tell me _this _late at night?" Tsuna groused, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. When he looked back at his father, the man's eyes were unreadable.

"I think it's time you knew," he said, looking down as he interlaced his fingers and rested them on the desk. Tsuna's look was blank, so he went on. "I know you intend to fight the Kokuyo gang again."

"Yeah," Tsuna replied quickly, surprised, although he'd feared as much. "But I don't want you to interfere this time." His tone was guarded.

Iemitsu merely shook his head. "I have no intention of doing so. But I will tell you this," he paused, looking carefully at his son. "Because I feel you need to know. The truth about School K and School M."

Tsuna tensed, feeling his contempt for Mukuro rise again. He didn't need to say anything to let Iemitsu know he had his undivided attention. The man cleared his throat.

"A man named Timoteo was the superitendent before me. He was responsible for the only school in the district, known as KazeMure. He was also the one who ordered to have the schools split in two."

"Why?" Tsuna asked, already full of questions.

"Because when Timoteo was in charge, there were students just like you causing trouble. About half of them you should recognize." Tsuna waited as his father paused, staring pensively at the hard desktop. "Your teacher was one of them. The school nurse another, and the principal was as well."

Tsuna's eyes widened before taking up a look of bewilderment. "Dino was...like me? But he seems so high-strung and I know he hates it when students fight."

"Why do you think he hates it?" Iemitsu asked, his own eyes narrowing. "Because it reminds him of his past?" Tsuna said nothing. "As I was saying, Dino and other students were always fighting and causing serious trouble around the school. They were separated into two opposing forces much like your gang and the Kokuyo. That is why the former superintendent made the decision to break the school into two different schools; to isolate the violence."

"Did it work?" Tsuna asked, clenching and unclenching his hands in his lap nervously. Iemitsu glanced at Tsuna for a moment before sighing and sitting back.

"_You _are the answer to that question." Tsuna did nothing, apparently not registering Iemitsu's riddle. "You still fight with students from School M. The separation was obviously a failure."

"So then what?"

"Timoteo had no choice but to retire after the students had graduated. He hired me in his place, and left me with some advice." He kept Tsuna in suspense for a moment as he poured himself a drink, both of them listening to the wind pick up speed, thunder still growling.

He glanced up at the clock, raising the glass to his lips. "He requested that I hire all of those thugs and have them work as the staff. Half of them were to work in School K, the other half in School M." Tsuna put his hands up, too many questions swarming his mind at once. "What?"

"How did they decide who would work at what school?"

"Incidentally, they worked at the school they had attended after the split."

"And how had _that_ been decided?"

Iemitsu set down his empty glass, regretting that he'd decided to tell his curious son so much at once. "According to Timoteo, it was decided the same way it had been with you and all the other students: randomly. But I think even you can see that the difference between Dino and Xanxus is similar to the difference between youself and Mukuro."

Tsuna was immediately confused again. "Wait, you mean all the bad students went to School M? And Xanxus was Dino's rival? They fought each other when they were in school?"

"Slow down!" Iemitsu interrupted, putting a hand to his head and holding the other out at Tsuna to stop him. "If you really want to know, you'll ask questions one at a time." After Tsuna was quiet for a while, he resumed. "I think it's true that the poorer students were sent to School M, explaining why their education is worse than ours. As far as Dino's and Xanxus's situation goes, I only know what I've been told. I didn't attend school with them, after all."

"One last thing," Tsuna said, glaring at his father with heated eyes. "If Dino and the others grew up as thugs like us, then that means they weren't very smart, right?" Iemitsu nodded, pouring himself another drink. "So why the hell did you have to hire them? Why did the former superintendent ask you to hire such unsuitable people for such an important job?"

Iemitsu just smiled wryly. "I'm glad you asked. There were many reasons, but I only believe one of them.

"First, I was told by an unreliable source that there was a shortage of teachers in the area. I think that's a load of bullshit personally, but it made it easier when I was explaining it to them." Tsuna opened his mouth to ask something, but his father raised a hand again. "Second, it was seen as punishment in regards to the juvenile record of the teachers. Also, the principals were involved with organized crime, so they were punished as well. It was either a job as staff for the schools, or jail for them.

"If you ask me, I think hiring them as teachers was a way to keep them from making more trouble when they were adults. It's a way of keeping all of them on a short leash." Tsuna nodded. "But the real reason, the only one I believe, is that they work here for the sake of preventing the same thing that happened to them from happening again.

"Our goal as the staff of these schools was to isolate and separate violence, keep a close eye on students like you, and to be able to identify, control, and eliminate gang violence before it became a problem." Iemitsu watched as Tsuna's eyes suddenly became dark and shadowed, his head down.

He knew about the internal conflict that Tsuna had going on in his mind at that moment. "So that was your goal, huh?" he said, so quiet Iemitsu almost didn't hear him.

"Yes, that's why we arrived at your most recent fight so soon with the police. We'd been watching you and we knew you were going to do something dangerous. I'm just glad we got there in ti-" Tsuna's fist came into contact with the top of the desk, knocking Iemitsu's glass over with the force.

"And what about the fight before that?" Tsuna's eyes were blank and empty. Iemitsu lowered his head. "Why weren't you able to stop that one? Why didn't you get to _that _one in time?!"

The faint sound of thunder echoed across the land outside as Tsuna left the office, leaving his dad without an answer to his question.

-end chapter

**A/N: Sorry people, school started and I have a slight fandom deflation with Reborn. I hope I can finish this story. Thanks to all who are still reading; it is much appreciated.**


	10. Dust to Dust

Chapter Ten : Dust to Dust

If it hadn't been for the thick heels of her boots, her footsteps wouldn't have been audible; for Chrome was walking lightly and carefully in fear of being found again by Mukuro. School M had emptied out for the evening, and Chrome stayed in the class building instead of going back to her dorm room. The long windows gave a clear view of the dark sky and storm brewing outside. She lowered her head, not wanting to look as lightning ripped across the black clouds.

Her heart felt both ashamed and guilty for the things she'd said to Mukuro. But she had to tell him that his type of violence was wrong. Something about him seemed different ever since he came to this school. He was never so violent before.

The girl looked around the hallway ceilings, shivering in her uniform. Something about this school was cursed.

Chrome stopped walking when she realized she'd arrived at the familiar door of her classroom. Her eyes, now downcast, were already shimmering with tears when she remembered the sight of Xanxus with scars running across every portion of his body. The least she could do was apologize appropriately for seeing what she shouldn't have.

A faint light was on, seeping underneath the door. Her trembling hand found the doorknob, and she knocked tentatively as she pushed it open.

Her teacher was sitting alone at his desk with a lamp illuminating the small area of the classroom. He had several papers in his hand, reading over them, not glancing up to look at Chrome. "I'm sorry to intrude," Chrome said charily, taking slow steps to Xanxus's desk.

"I was hoping you would show up," Xanxus told her, even smiling slightly. The girl, taken aback, stood in front of his desk and recognized the papers he was holding. "I wanted to tell you how impressed I was with your essay." He let his eyes close and set the papers down, folding his arms. "All ten pages of it."

"Th-thank you, sir." Chrome remembered that she'd dropped her entire essay to the floor the moment she'd walked in on her two teachers that afternoon. He must've picked it up and finished reading it just moments ago. "I apologize for getting it to you so late."

"You don't need to be sorry," he said, his voice even-toned and sincere. "You were the only one who turned one in at all. And it was a very nice essay. Thank you."

Chrome could see the faded scars that ran along Xanxus's forearms and her kind-hearted sympathy got the best of her as she felt her lip tremble. "I'm very sorry for interrupting you the other day. I should've knocked. And I'm also sorry that you have had so many injuries in the past. It must've been difficult for you back then..." She stopped to wipe away the tear that drifted down her cheek, almost unnoticed.

Xanxus returned her kindness with a blank stare before he looked away, not sure of what he should say to her. "I know it's difficult for you, too, having to fight beside your brother all the time. You probably don't look much different from me."

The girl blushed, knowing her teacher was right. She nodded slowly. "Underneath this uniform, I have many injuries similar to your own." Her hand involuntarily moved to her eyepatch, her other eye closing when she fingered the dark fabric. "Some worse, even."

Xanxus said nothing, letting the girl go on. "Maybe it is because I am like you that I came here," she said, her voice growing softer. "And because I can relate to you, there is something I must know. About you."

This time, the man scowled and looked to the side, his own eyes darkening. "There is nothing you need to know about me. My past, and yours, they have nothing to do with each-"

"They are the same!" Chrome said, her voice breaking the comfortable silence in the room. Her eye was wide with tension and it softened to concern as she looked at Xanxus. He looked back at her, shocked that she knew about him already. "But I only know so much," she added. "The rest, I need you to tell me."

"Why should I tell you?" Xanxus argued. "You're my student."

"It is because I'm scared. I care so deeply about this school, and especially you." Xanxus flinched, becoming more confused with everything the girl before him said. "And I care about my brother ... and myself. I fear for the two of us." Chrome's eye was flooding with tears, her mouth turned to an upset frown and her teeth gritted. "Your scars and mine ... I need you ... to ..."

The girl leaned against the desk and she hung her head, unable to support herself. "Chrome." Xanxus stood up as the girl looked to him again. "How much do you know?"

She sank into the chair that was placed behind her, feeling her face with her hand. "Because of my brother's suspicions, I am under the impression that you and several others are not supposed to be teaching here." She paused, turning to face the storm outside the window. "I would like you to tell me everything else."

Xanxus sat back down, folding his hands in front of him and setting them on his desk. "Very well. Considering you managed to find out that much about us, I guess there's no harm in telling you the rest. And if there's one student I can trust in this school, it's you, Chrome." She blushed again and glanced demurely at her teacher with respect. "Back when I was in high school..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **KazeMura High School, 8 years ago** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Xanxus pulled the bandage taught around his wrist using his teeth, his other hand holding his gun. Squalo looked around the corner of the building before returning to the depths of the alley they were hiding in. "I don't see them anywhere," he complained, leaning back against the brick building. "Damn Cavallone bastards. As soon as I see another one of them, I'll-"

A small, blonde child alighted by Squalo's side, startling him. "Bel! Where have you been up until now? I was worried about you!"

Bel grinned, eyes still shadowed by his haphazardly cut bangs. "I was looking for the enemy. They're not far."

"And Marmon?" Xanxus asked, glaring at the kid.

"Lost, I'm sure. But I wouldn't worry too much." The eight-year old pulled an assortment of knives from his pocket, his smile disappearing. "Here they come."

"You can tell?" Squalo whispered, readying his own knife. "Those sons of bitches are dead meat."

When the rushing footsteps grew nearer, Xanxus leapt out of the alley, skidding to a stop on the sidewalk to cut them off. "Varia!" one of the students shouted, raising his club above his head. He brought it down on Xanxus, but Squalo sliced it in half with one easy movement.

"Where's your leader?!" Squalo demanded, scaring the students away. As they ran in the other direction, Xanxus shot the slowest one in the back of the leg, bringing him down. Bel kicked his weapon away, and the three surrounded him. "Tell me where the fuck Dino is!"

"I-I don't know!" the boy stammered, raising his hands up to defend himself. "Please, don't hurt me!"

"Tell us!" Xanxus shouted, pointing his gun in the other's face. "Or I'll do more than hurt you."

"I'm right here." Xanxus and the others looked over to see Dino standing not too far away, his best friend on the other side of him. "Now leave him alone." Xanxus withdrew his gun and the boy scrambled to his feet, limping away.

"Finally showed yourself, huh?!" Squalo stepped forward, bringing his knife up in front of him. "It's about time I kicked your sorry ass!"

"I'm afraid not, Squalo!" Dino shouted back, raising his chain-whip into sight, his pistol safely on his belt. "I'm not letting you Varia criminals get away." Dino lunged towards his enemy, Trident Shamal not far behind him. Bel stepped forward and readied his knives, but Xanxus pushed him back, knocking him gently onto the pavement.

"Stay back, Bel," Xanxus said, looking at his small friend with surfacing concern. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Dino's whip lashed towards Xanxus, who blocked it, trapping his arm. The blonde pulled the other forward with the weapon, bringing his jaw into contact with his readied fist. "You're the first to go, Xanxus," Dino hissed loathingly, pulling the chain forcefully at an angle that threw Xanxus to the pavement while turning him loose.

The dark-haired one rolled safely to his feet, aiming his guns at Dino. "You need to learn your place, Cavallone," he growled, his finger on the trigger. He stopped short at the sound of his friend's voice.

"Vooooiii! Get off of me, you freak!" Squalo pushed Shamal off himself and pinned him to the concrete, pulling his fist back and breaking his nose on impact. "Don't worry about me, Xanxus! Just take care of yourself!" he called out over his shoulder.

But Dino took advantage of the opening and tackled Xanxus to the ground, both slamming their heads against the road. "You get distracted easily," Dino managed to say with clenched teeth, struggling to hold Xanxus down. Footsteps could be heard around them as other members of their gangs took to fighting as well.

"It's nothing compared to how many openings _you_ leave!" Xanxus brought his knee up, striking Dino in the abdomen and immobilizing him long enough for Xanxus to gain the advantage. He held Dino's wrists down, but his strength wasn't enough. They exchanged several punches, neither of them giving in or acknowledging their fatigue.

Xanxus's hand clasped Dino's throat and he raised his other fist to finish him off. "It's...over..."

Squalo kicked Shamal against a crowd of trashcans, glancing back to see his friend in danger. "Shit! Xanxus, look out!" He felt his feet couldn't carry him there fast enough as Shamal was forgotten.

"Xanxus," Dino panted, looking up at him with swollen eyes. "You-!" Xanxus felt a shadow on his back and turned in time to see a man with a large knife standing above him, his face obscured by angled lighting.

"Move it!" Xanxus heard Squalo's voice demand as a figure pushed him out of the knife's reach and back onto the street's asphalt. A stream of warm blood streaked across Xanxus's face and a scream pierced the night air, silencing everything else.

Xanxus rose to his feet in time to see the man with a bloody knife partially shocked at what he'd done, and Squalo on his knees with blood running down his white sleeve, coming from nowhere. The younger man's face paled deeper as his eyes found no place else to look besides where his left hand used to be.

Guns locked in preparation as Xanxus sprinted toward the offender, his eyes blazing. "You bastard!!" Dino raised a hand to stop him and Squalo watched in furious, agonizing satisfaction as both of Xanxus's guns eliminated the man, once through the heart, once through the head.

The corpse hit the cement in a heap of blood, and Xanxus turned to Dino, seething with wrath. "You're next!"

"Over here!" came a voice that caught both Xanxus's and Squalo's attention. They turned to see Lussuria, Levi, and Marmon standing beside a tunnel that they recognized. Squalo took another look at his wrist before facing Xanxus again.

"We should go," Xanxus said grudgingly, calming down. He glared once more at Dino, unable to truly voice his contempt for the other boy. They stormed off, Squalo pressuring his wound with his right hand.

"The Arcobaleno are working with them?" a Cavallone asked, helping his leader to his feet as he eyed the mysterious hooded person by the tunnel.

Dino smiled wryly, taking another look at the empty space where the dark figures had just been standing. "It's no surprise, really," he coughed. "We've got one working for us, too, after all."

A man who had been standing beside a near building smiled, raising a hand to the brim of his hat.

v v v v v v v v v v

Chrome nodded to herself. _So that's why that substitute wore that glove on his hand. _Xanxus was looking at her carefully.

"Back then, it had been my goal to take that bastard's place as the superintendent," Xanxus explained. "Timoteo instead chose Iemitsu to take his place. But those who wanted to help me achieve my goal became my friends, and we fought together as a gang known as the Varia."

"Who were the Arcobaleno?" Chrome asked.

"They were an independent gang who eventually collapsed because of internal disagreements." Xanxus sighed, looking outside. "You see, Marmon was a member of the Varia, and Reborn was helping the Cavallone. Their dispute crushed the gang altogether. But before that, it had been three-way fighting."

"Can you tell me more about Iemitsu and the schools? And your friend, Squalo, as well."

"It's getting late," Xanxus mentioned, but Chrome didn't move. "But I suppose."

v v v v v v v v v v

Squalo winced in pain as Xanxus continued to wrap the bandages around his wrist. "I'm sorry I let this happen," the older man said quietly under his breath. Squalo just looked at the floor, wishing to change the subject.

"You know that old man hired the next superintendent," Squalo said, covering bad news with bad news. Xanxus paused, but resumed after a curt laugh.

"Iemitsu, huh?" Squalo tried to look at his friend, attempting to decode the rage that was building up there. "It figures."

"I'm not giving up, though," Squalo promised, smiling at Xanxus. "And neither should you." Xanxus stopped bandaging and looked down at his hands, before turning to Squalo and forcing a smile back.

Some years later, those who had been fighting on the streets were sitting around a meeting table, Iemitsu standing at the head. "Timoteo, the former superintendent," he began, looking directly at each individual. "Requested that I hire you all as the staff for the schools that were separated during the years you attended them." Despite the crowd's incredulous reaction, he continued.

"It will be our duty to prevent gang-related violence, a task that Timoteo regrets he failed at doing. Consider this your punishment."

v v v v v v v v v v

"Did you do well to prevent the violence?" Chrome asked.

Xanxus's look became difficult, but he smiled nonetheless. "No, we actually didn't. You may recall the time when your brother attacked the students from School K." Chrome nodded, remembering her brother talking about this. "Well, not only did that attack prove that we'd failed to stop fighting, even between people from other schools, but it was also responsible for the creation of the Vongola gang. The one you fought quite recently.

"Iemitsu blamed me for that whole incident," Xanxus remarked bitterly. "He says that I couldn't control my own students. But it was everyone's fault. No one could detect any type of hostility from any of the students. I don't know why he chose to blame me for that, but it made me hate him even more."

"But it's because you let that happen that you were able to stop the second fight," Chrome reassured him, but she did little to ease Xanxus's hatred for the man.

"That guy was too enraged to see his son injured to take time and think about things like that," Xanxus returned. "He's a total headcase when it comes to that brat, Tsuna." He glanced this time away from the window and at the door, towards the inside of the school. "And now he's entrusting these schools to him."

The girl looked up. "You mean, Iemitsu plans on making Tsuna the next superintendent?" When Xanxus said nothing, she lowered her head. "Ah, I'm sorry."

Chrome nodded solemly as Xanxus leaned back in his chair. "I see. So you all work here because you see yourselves in us." Xanxus said nothing more. "Thank you. I suppose I should be going." The girl stood to leave, but was stopped.

"Not so fast," Xanxus said, looking at her. "I know you transferred to this school. I read about it in your essay." Chrome cringed. "I also know your brother and you have some very unnatural abilities, ever since you pulled that last disappearing act. And even one before that."

Chrome felt she was forced to sit back down, her body suddenly heavy. "You must've gone to another school before this one. Now where was it?" The girl stared at her teacher, but made no effort to talk. Mukuro would punish her if she spoke about her past to anyone.

Xanxus sighed in exasperation, glaring at his student and pushing her to cave in. "I told you my story. Now let me hear yours."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **School K **- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tsuna stepped outside, the air instantly humid and the wind blowing though his jacket. He watched lightning tear across the sky, illuminating everything just long enough for him to see branches struggling against the harsh winds, leaves getting torn off and blown all around.

He started running, not thinking of the weather, the pain, how tired he would be, or how late it was getting. He thought only of his destination. The anger inside him as well as the desire to defeat Mukuro was pushed higher with every step he took.

Cold air ripped at his lungs, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Visions of Gokudera and Yamamoto plagued his mind. Distractions were the last things he wanted at that moment. But with every inch he drew closer to the scene, his heart continued to wonder if they were okay. And he never stopped wondering if they'd forgiven him, even after he'd arrived under the light.

-- Ch. 10 fin

A/N: This chapter was much different in my mind and too difficult to write, so I regret saying that this didn't turn out the way I intended. But I hope it got the point across to the readers. If it's not too much trouble, please tell me what you thought of it. I know there are quite a few of you people reading this, and your feedback will always be welcome, appreciated, and helpful.


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